Butterflies
by blueyes4197
Summary: Crystal Randle is 16 and in love with her best friend Sodapop. She used to think that the worst of her worries were her abusive father but what happens when she's forced to accompany Pony and Johnny on their journey, maybe even change the outcome?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own the Outsiders. I wouldn't mind owning those sexy, sexy men but I don't. I only own Crissy. 8D**

**Author's note: Okay, this is my first Fanfic ever. Please be easy on me. Construtive crtisisum is allowed but no flames please. Rate and review so I know y'all like my story. 8D **

**ON WITH THE STORY!!!**

**Butterflies.**

**Chapter 1, Dreams. **

_"Stevie?" I asked. My brother and I sat on the top bunk of our bed, huddled together._

_"Yeah, Crissy?" My brother answered quietly._

_"Where'd Mamma go? And, why is Daddy being so mean?" I asked as I heard another loud bang from downstairs. I flinched into my brother's chest and his arms tightened around me._

_"Mammas in heaven, Crystal. I really don't know why he's being so mean to us… I think he missies her." Steve said. I heard him try to choke back a sob. My Mamma's name was Betsy Randle; she died last night because she was shot walking home from work. Daddy's name was Connor Randle and he used to love my brother and me… but now he's mad and he hits us a lot. I nodded with a small sob. Steve gave me another hug then went back to trying to open the window._

_"What are you doing Stevie?" I asked as he pulled on the window._

_"Trying to open the window so we can go to Soda's and get the hell outta this place." Steve said. I nodded. Suddenly though, the door banged open and our red faced father stomped in, He smelt like beer and smoke. He grabbed Steve by the back of his shirt and slammed him against the wall._

_"You damn little brat! Why did she die?! YOU should have died!" He yelled in his face. Then he punched Steve in his face over and over. I jumped off of the bed and hopped on his back._

_"GET OFFA HIM YOU BIG BULLY!" I screamed as I pulled his hair and tried to poke his eyes like Steve taught me. He grabbed my arm and pulled me over his shoulder and slammed me onto the ground. I let out a cry of pain as he picked me up and slammed me into the wall by my hair._

_"You little bitch!" He yelled. Then he slapped me and threw me on the ground. "This better teach you two little twerps a lesson!" He screamed, and then he stormed down the hallway. Steve pulled himself off the floor and limped over to me. His nose was bleeding and his lip was busted, but he pulled me into his lap and rocked me._

_"It's okay baby. I promise that we'll find a way outta this place." He said rocking me slowly and trying to keep his blood off me. It was at that moment that I realized that my life would be forever ruined. I was never gonna get any kind of happily ever after except for knowing that Steve would always be there for me. He knew that too. That was a lot for a ten-year-old boy and a nine-year old girl to learn._

My eyes snapped open and I shot up in bed, breathing heavily. But I wasn't seeing my room; I was still seeing the horrible nightmares over and over again. I heard a grunt and looked to my right. My seventeen-year-old brother was sleeping as hard a rock. He was drooling and half off the bed. I smiled and softly tousled his dark brown hair. I closed my eyes and listened… then I heard it. Deep snores come from across the hall, and I sighed. Dad was still asleep which meant we MIGHT be able to get out without another beating. I was still sore from last night. I slid out of my bed and crept into the bathroom to take a quick shower. I loved showers. They were like my peace. The hot water soothed my sore skin that was most always covered in bruises and cuts. I stepped out and wrapped the towel around myself. Creeping back into my room, I kneeled next to my brother's side of the bed where he STILL slept.

"Steve… c'mon Stevie. Ya gotta get up for work!" He rolled over with a moan.

"Go away Crystal. I'm sleeping god damnit." He mumbled through the pillow. I chuckled and tapped him again.

"Steve, you better be up by the time I come back or I'm gonna dump a pitcher of ice water on your lazy ass." I threatened.

"Sure, sure." He mumbled, and then started to snore again. I giggled and went to grab some clothes. I looked in the mirror and grimaced. I had bruises covering my body! That wasn't anything new though.

It's not like I was anything special. I had long, dirty blonde wavy hair that came to my lower back and my eyes were a dark brown. I was slim and pretty short, but I was curvy and according to Dally I had great boobs and a great butt to match. Steve beat the crap out of him for saying that to me. My skin was tan but just slightly. I sounded like a regular sixteen-year-old girl, but how many girls my age had a record with the police? How many girls my age knew how to take down three football players? How many girls my age were covered in bruises from their father? Not many. I was a greaser and I was damn proud of it. I yanked on a pair of faded blue jeans and a dark green shirt with some old sneakers. I wasn't allowed to wear any make-up except for lip-gloss or Steve would skin me. I put a little hair grease in my hair to make it shiny and filled a pitcher with cold water, then I walked back into my room and sure enough, Steve was still passed out on the bed. I grinned and walked over… then I dumped the water right on his face… and started laughing. He shot up like a rocket and jumped out of bed.

"COLD!" He yelled as he tried to get his shirt off. I just laughed louder and Steve glared at me.

"Hay, I warned you. You just didn't listen." I said with a shrug.

"Go to hell Crystal." He muttered, I grinned bigger.

"Can't, I live there." I said back. He smirked.

"Bite me." He said back with that same smirk.

"Not even if you paid me." I said smugly, "Now get dressed smart-ass. Your gonna be late for work." I laughed. He looked at me seriously.

"Is dad up?" He asked in a fear-filled voice. I knew that fear wasn't for him though. It was for me. I shook my head.

"Nope. We're safe. But we might not be if you don't hurry up!' I said. He nodded and went to get dressed. I almost looked exactly like my brother except he had dark brown hair and he slicked it back with hair grease so it looked black most of the time. The only real difference between us was our hair. His was dark brown and mine was like a golden honey blonde color. He had dark brown eyes just like me, and the same facial features. Strong nose, wide but full lips, high cheekbones… everything. He was a greaser too. He was a good head taller then me and tanner then me too. He was stronger then me, of course, but I was a good fight for him. He was covered in bruises like me too. My dad still beats us, he's been beating us ever since I was nine and he was ten. That was when our mom died. We mostly look like her but Steve has Dad's hair color. I have my mom's hair and we both have her eyes. Steve and I were alike and different. Steve was hard, cocky, arrogant, annoying, and just plain stupid sometimes. He's been like that ever since dad started to beat me more when I turned thirteen. But there was a side to him that only I saw. It was my REAL brother. My sweet, caring, tough, and pure big brother that always watched over me. I was hyper, and silly, and fun to be with. I could never sit still unless something was wrong. I was always bouncing around like a bee. But I was tough, and hard, and shut out too. The old me, the me that was free and innocent, I kept locked up. If I let that part of me out, I wouldn't be able to stop showing all my pain and anger and confusion. And worst of all… the fear. I was dead scared of going to sleep. But I couldn't show that. I was greaser. Greasers aren't scared of anything. And they sure as hell don't cry.

Steve walked back in fully dressed in blue jeans, sneakers, a white T-shirt with the light blue DX shirt open over it. He had on his DX cap over his slicked back hair. He looked at me with those hard eyes but smiled.

"Keys?" He asked. I chuckled and grabbed then off of the desk and threw them to him.

"Here. Now let's go. I don't wanna push our luck with dad, he'll have a killer hangover." I said, pulling on my waist length leather jacket on. Steve chuckled and hooked his arm threw mine.

"Let's go Crissykid." He smirked and I smiled as we walked out to the old piece of crap car my brother drove.

"Okey Dokey Steve-O." I said.

* * *

**How was it? Rate and review and let me know m'kay? Thanks y'all!! 8D**

**P.S. Please don't ask me why I named it Butterflies, I really have no clue. It just... it just felt _right _ya know? Well anyway, please don't ask because I won't have an answer. **

**-Chu-Chi!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I didn't own them in the first chapter and I don't own them now. :'( I only own Crissy. :)**

**Chapter 2, The Gang.**

Steve pulled up in front of the little house and got out of the car with me. We walked right on in to the house without knocking. Nobody had to knock. The door was always open for anybody who needed a place to stay. In the living room on the couch was one of my best buddies, Two-Bit Matthews. His real name was Keith but everyone called him Two-Bit because of his personality. He was the joker of the gang. Always cracking jokes and making smart-ass remarks. He was tall and buff with mouse brown hair that he kept slicked back with hair grease too. He was greaser, all my friends were. He had these long sideburns that for some reason, he was very proud of. He also had brown eyes that always smiled at you. He wore regular blue jeans and a gray Mickey Mouse shirt under a brown leather jacket. He looked up and grinned at us with chocolate cake on his face.

"Crissy! Steve! How's it going guys?" Two-Bit said and he slapped hands with my brother and then picked me up in a bone-crushing bear hug that took away my air supply.

"Two-Bit! I need to breathe… NOW!" I gasped and he set me back down on my feet with a loud laugh. Then he sauntered back to the couch as Mickey came on the TV. I smiled and walked into the kitchen where the rest of the gang was sitting. Darry was making breakfast for everyone else; I came up behind him and jammed my fingers into his sides. He jumped and spun around.

"Crystal, one day your gonna do that and I'm gonna 'accidentally' whack the frying pan into your head." He said but gave me a side hug.

"Good mornin' to ya too Darry." I laughed as I rolled my eyes and leaned against the counter. Darrel Curtis was the oldest of the Curtis brothers at the age of 20. We sometimes called him superman or rocky because he was by far the buffest and strongest of all of us. He had light brown hair that he did not grease. Actually if it wasn't for the gang, Darry would be a Soc. He had hazel eyes that never seemed to choose whether they wanted to be green or brown. He was hard and tough as a boulder but when it came to his little brothers or me, he was sweet and caring.

"Hay! Don't I get a hug?" Ponyboy said, pouting in his seat. I smiled and gave him a big hug.

"Sorry Pony." I said. Ponyboy Curtis was the youngest of the Curtis brothers at age fourteen. Pony had long, light brown hair like Darry but he DID keep it slicked back with grease. He had greenish-gray eyes that were very rarely HERE. They were usually in some far away place that only he could see. Ponyboy was the dreamer of the group. He loved movies and books and all that kind of stuff. I really liked Pony. He was sweet and kind hearted and Darry gave the poor kid hell for anything he does. That's usually when I go off and tell Darry to stick it where the sun don't shine. Pony was like a little brother to me. I turned to my right and put my hands on my hips.

"What? Are you too good to give me a hug now? Fine. I see how you are!" I said as I pretended to glare at my friend, Johnny. He stood up and gave me a good hug while whispering "Sorry, Crissy." in my ear.

Johnny Cade was sixteen years old like me and the only other person in this world that knew our dad beat Steve and me. Johnny's folks beat him too. He had black hair that he put a little grease in and black doe eyes that were full of fear. He had a scar on his right cheek from getting beat up by a couple of Socs a few weeks ago. He had super tan skin that was flawless and he was really tall. I only came up to his shoulder. He was skinny but built. The gang usually called him Johnnycake. He was so sweet and kind that it shocked me that anyone would want to hurt him. He sat back down to finish his food when the back door banged open. I smiled and ran at the man in the door. He caught me but just barely.

"Damn! I was hoping you'd fall." I said as Dally laughed.

"I'd take you down with me Criss." He pointed out and I smirked.

"But I would land on top of you. You would land on you blonde ass." I smiled as he glared at me.

"You know… you're a blonde too, Crissy." Dally said, shaking his head and putting me down. Dallas Winston had curly white blonde hair that he slicked back and ice blue eyes. Dally had white skin and freckles over his nose. He was strong and tall too. Dally got in the most trouble out of our little gang. He had a file with the police at least a mile long. He was always in trouble with SOMETHING! That's mostly why I liked to hang out with him. I loved to get into trouble. Dally was eighteen and possibly the funniest guy I knew. When he got mad, he made me laugh.

Suddenly a boy ran into the kitchen searching franticly for something and my heart gave a little squeeze.  
"SHOE!!" The boy screamed as he ran around. I saw it on the porch outside and went to get it. I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to a stop.

"Here Soda. What else ya missin'?" I asked my best friend. He took the shoe from me and smiled.

"My hat and shirt. Thanks for the shoe!" He said then he kissed my cheek as he normally did and went back to his searching.

Sodapop Curtis was the middle Curtis brother. He was my best friend in the whole entire world. Soda is handsomer than anyone else I know. Soda's movie-star kind of handsome, that kind that people stop on the street to watch go by. He's not as tall as Darry and he's a little slimmer, but he has a finely drawn, sensitive face that somehow manages to be reckless and thoughtful at the same time. He's got dark-gold hair that he combs back long, and silky, and straight and in the summer the sun bleaches it to a shining wheat-gold. His eyes are dark brown lively, dancing, recklessly laughing eyes that can be gentle and sympathetic one moment and blazing with anger the next. He has his dad's eyes but Soda is one of a kind. He can get drunk on a drag race or dancing without ever getting near alcohol. In our neighborhood it's rare to find a kid who doesn't drink once in a while, but Soda never touches a drop, he doesn't need to. He gets drunk on just plain living. And he understands everybody. I'd know him since I was five and I was totally and completely in love with him. Of course he didn't know that. Nobody but Johnny and Pony knew that. I didn't have enough guts to tell him. A rumble with five greasers and twenty Socs… sure! No problem. Telling Sodapop I loved him… HELL NO! I grabbed his shirt that had been hanging on the door and slid it on along with the hat that he had left in Steve's car.

"Soda… how do I look?" I asked. He didn't look up at me but responded.

"Great… as usual." He said and I grinned.

"Really? I don't think the hat and button-up shirt is my style… but you do know best." He looked at me then and smiled.

"Hmm nah, you'd look better in a mini skirt and a tank top." He grinned and I put my hands on my hips.

"Sodapop Curtis! I don't see how all the girls like you… your just like every OTHER guy I know." I said. Truth was, if it would make him ask me out… I'd totally wear that.

"Yes I am. They just love me for my body." He said and grinned while he took his shirt from me.

"Bull-shit!" Two-Bit, Dally, Darry, and I all yelled together. Soda laughed and tried to grab his hat from me but I ducked.

"Nope! My hat! MINE, MINE, MINE!" I yelled as he repeatedly tried to grab the hat.

"C'mon! I need that!" He whined and I giggled. He sighed. "Please Crissy?" He asked and gave me the puppy-dog eyes that he KNOWS I can't resist.

I sighed. "I hate you and your damn puppy-dog eyes, Soda." I grumbled. He grinned.

"You can't fight the union!" He laughed loud and I slapped his arm playfully.

"Screw you and your damn union." I said and he laughed.

"Soda! Stop messin' around! We gotta go!" came my brother's voice. Soda pulled me into a hug that lifted me off my feet. He spun me around and then set me down.

"Bye guys! See ya later Crissy!" He called as he ran out the door after Steve. I chuckled and went back into the kitchen. Dally, Pony, and Johnny were sitting at the table.

"So boys… what kind of trouble are we gonna get ourselves into today?"

* * *

**Not the most interesting chapter I suppose but it WAS discriptive! :) I'll admit, I don't own Soda's discription either, I found it on a website and copy and pasted it because I couldn't think of a good one. :) DON'T YELL AT ME PLEASE!!! Constructive critisim allowed but NO FLAMES! Please and thank y'all!!!**

**REVIEWS ARE LOVE PEOPLE!!!**

**-Chu-Chi!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!!! Except Crissy of course.... :)**

**NOTICE: I curse... a lot. They wouldn't be Greasers without some swears. So don't be surprised at the F bombs I drop. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!**

**P.S. The places that are in italics *_LIKE THIS!*_ are Crissy's dreams or memories. Just so you don't get confused. :) **

**ONWARD!!!! 8D**

**Chapter 3, A Day And Night Of Fun… And Pain. **

Dally, Pony, Johnny, and I spent the morning down at Buck's. I hustled Dally out of twenty bucks, which made Johnny and Pony laugh. Then we headed over to the park to relax a little.

"Hay Johnny… ya got a smoke for me?" I asked.

"Why don't you guys ever bring your OWN smokes?" Johnny said. I shrugged and lit up. I took a long drag of mine and blew out the smoke then grinned at him.

"Because we like yours better, Johnnycake." I said. He smiled. We sat there for a few minutes, just thinking. Suddenly, Dally stretched and stood up.

"Listen y'all. I gotta head over to Shepard's. He owes me money." Pony shook his head and Johnny smiled. I stood up with him.

"Need some help, Blondie?" I asked and he flung me over his shoulder real fast. "Hay!" I yelled. "Put me down! Now, Dally!" I yelled as I banged on his back. He flipped me, probably wanting me to land on my head but I landed on my butt. I stood up quickly and pounced on him, making him fall on his back.

"HA HA HA!" I laughed. He glared at me.

"Congrats bitch." He muttered. Johnny and Pony were laughing so hard, they were turning purple.

"I… can't… breathe!" Pony gasped out between peals of laughter. Johnny just nodded, laughing too hard to talk. Dally stood up and waved goodbye over his shoulder. I giggled and sat on the floor in front of Pony.

"Hay guys, let's go walk around. I'm bored." Pony said. I nodded with Johnny and we started toward the fountain. We were walking past it when all of a sudden, a black mustang pulled up next to us and about six Socs piled out in front of us.

Socs were like the rich kids. They got their kicks by having beer blasts and pounding on Greasers like us. Johnny stiffened beside me and Pony backed up a bit. I played cool but stood slightly in front of Johnny and Pony. The biggest one stepped forward a bit.

"Well boys, look at what we got here. Two tiny Greasers and a whore." He said, eyeing me. "What do you say about playing with her a little bit?" He asked and his friends

"Um excuse me Pal, but the answer to that would be not no, but HELL NO!" I said back.

"Shut your trap Greaser. No one asked you! We should teach you and your little friends some manners! Get'em boys." He snarled. Four from the back went for Pony and Johnny while the big one and another really big one started to come towards me. I backed up and was about to scream but the other guy grabbed me and held me down on the floor while the big guy came on top of me and started to slug me. I raised my knees up and kneed the big guy in the groin. He sucked in a breath and rolled off me. I flung my feet up and kicked the guy holding me down in the face. He released his hold and I popped up and hopped on top of him. I decked him a good couple in the face before the other guy grabbed me around the waist. I kicked my foot back and hit him in the balls again! He hissed and dropped me.

I looked up and the other Socs had left Johnny on the ground and were trying to drown Pony in the fountain. Johnny looked so scared and I knew he was seeing the time when a Soc beat him up real bad.

"NO!" I screamed and ran at the Soc that was holding his head under. I tackled him down into the fountain I didn't try to drown him but I did break his nose for sure. Two other Socs grabbed me and hauled me off the boy.

"NO! GET OFF OF ME YOU FUCKING SONS OF BITCHES! N…!" I tried to scream but they covered my mouth. It was too late though. Soda and Steve had heard us from the DX up the road. Steve grabbed the four Socs that were ganged up on Johnny and Pony. But Soda ran straight for the two on me. I felt consciousness slowly slipping away with each punch that hit me. But one minute, I was pinned to the ground by two Socs. Next, I was just lying there. I looked to my right and Soda was beating the living crap out of the two Socs. They all started to run away but Soda and Steve went after them.

I closed my eyes for a second, but then I felt someone slide next to me.

"Crissy? Crystal! Open your eyes Criss!" That was Soda. He was touching my arm and shaking me lightly. But then he touched my ribs…

"OW! Mmmm those fucking Socs…" I mumbled.

"Crystal honey… are you okay?" That was Steve with his dumb questions. But I couldn't answer… I was losing the fight for consciousness. Last thing I remember was Soda picking me up and starting to run. Then I fell into a peaceful darkness.

**….**

_Steve was sitting on the bench next to me, smiling. Our mom stood in front of us with a camera._

_"Smile babies." She said to us softly. Steve put his arm around my shoulders and smiled. I hugged his waist and smiled at the camera. There was a flash and then Momma stood up._

_"Alright, you two can go play now." She said. I stood up with Steve and we ran for the swings. There was another little boy there. Smiling and swinging back and forth. He had brown hair the same color as his eyes and his hair was spiked up with hair grease just like my brothers! I sat on the swing in between him and Steve. He smiled at us._

_"Hi! I'm Sodapop! What's your names?" The boy said with a big grin. I smiled back._

_"I'm Crystal, but you can call me Crissy. That's my big brother, Steve. It's nice to meet you Sodapop!" I smiled._

_"I like that name. It's pretty." Soda said, I smiled and looked down._

_"Thanks." I giggled a little. "Most people think it's weird." I said. But he laughed._

_"Aw Sodapop is way more weird then Crystal." He laughed. Suddenly a boy about nine walked over._

_"Whatcha doin' Soda?" He asked._

_"Making new friends. This is Crystal and Steve. This is my big brother Darry." Soda said. I smiled._

_"Hi!" He grinned back and sat next to Steve._

_"How old are y'all?" Steve asked._

_"I'm nine and Soda's six." Darry said. "How old are y'all?" He asked._

_"I'm six and Crissy's five." Steve answered._

_"Hay, y'all Greasers right? My parents are Greasers." I smiled, pound of being a greaser. Soda answered._

_"Yeah! My Mamma and Papa said they were greasers too!" He laughed. My mom came over then._

_"Hay kids… who's your friends?" She asked._

_"This is Soda and that's Darry. Their greasers like me and Stevie, Mamma!" I smiled. She looked at Soda and Darry._

_"Well hello. We're your parents?" She asked, Soda pointed to a blonde woman and a brown haired man watching us. Mamma smiled. "I'm gonna go on and introduce ourselves." She said and walked over to them._

_"Let's go play by the fountain. I'm getting bored." I said._

_"Yeah!" Soda jumped up and grabbed my hand. "Let's go!" He said as he pulled me over to the fountain. Steve and Darry came over shortly after and we started playing in the sand. Suddenly, three boys about ten called us out._

_"Aw, look at the little Greasers playing in the dirt like the rats they are. How cute." The blonde boy said. I hated it when Socs thought they were so cool because they had money. I stood up and walked over to them with a fist-full of mud._

_"Go to hell you butthead." I growled. Then I chucked the mud right into his face and stomped on his toe. Then I punched him in his stomach. "Go pick on someone your own size." I said. His friends looked startled until the boy said, "Get them!" Then the two charged at me. Steve ran and tackled one to the ground. Soda grabbed the other and a full fight began. Darry and I took down the blonde one after he went for Steve from behind. Soon my mommy came and grabbed me off the guy and pulled me back. The whole time I thrashed and yelled, "I'm gonna kill him!" Daddy grabbed Stevie and Soda's parents grabbed Darry and Soda. Mamma knelt down and looked at me._

_"Crystal! What happened?!" She asked._

_"Those stupid Socs called us rats so I threw mud in his face whooped his ass!" I smiled._

_"Language Crystal! And what should you have done instead of fighting?"_

_"Come and told you." I answered, annoyed. Daddy came over with a smiling Steve._

_"Nice work Criss! Those Socs were running for the hills!" He smiled._

_"Connor, don't encourage fighting!" Mamma scolded and we all looked down and said, "Sorry." together. Soda ran over then._

_"My dad said good job but my mom is mad." He smiled. And I smiled back too._

_"Same with us." Steve said._

_"My mommy says that this Saturday we can all hang out again!" Soda smiled. And I looked at Mamma._

_"Okay." She nodded. Then Soda gave me a hug and so did Darry. Then they waved goodbye and left._

_I had a feeling that we were going to be friends for a long time._

**….**

First thing I thought when I woke up was, "Ow." My whole body hurt… and I mean more then usual. My face felt like someone had slammed into it with a frying pan, and someone could have because I couldn't remember anything except sitting with Pony and Johnny by the fountain. I groaned at the headache I had and someone touched my face.

"Crystal baby. Can you hear me? Open your eyes Crissy." Steve's voice came into my head. I pulled back my lids slowly but groaned when the light hurt my eyes.

"Steve?" I croaked. My voice sounded dry.

"Right here Criss." He said, rubbing my left arm. "Soda's here too, and Darry." He said. Someone squeezed my right hand. I groaned again and went to sit up.

"Oh god… what the hell happened to me? I feel like I got into a fight with a frying pan!" I moaned again. Then I stared at Steve. "Did… did he do this?" I asked, talking about my father. His eyes widened and he glanced at Soda and Darry.

"No. He wouldn't be breathing if he did." He smiled, but I frowned.

"Then what the hell happened?!" I asked again.

"Bout' six Socs came and ganged up on You, Johnny, and Pony. It was a miracle that we heard you from the DX or you would be in a lot worse pain." Soda said, he sounded so scared… and then I remembered, Pony, Johnny…! I sat up fast and hopped off the bed quickly… too quickly because I almost fell backwards but Soda caught me.

"Pony! Johnny! Where are they? Are they okay?" I asked as I pulled free from Soda and turned to face everyone. "Please, please tell me there alright. Please don't tell me there hurt." I begged. Steve came over and hugged me.

"Johnny is sleeping on the couch… he's just got a few bruises. Ponyboy is sleeping; nearly drowning took a lot out of him. You got the worst of it." He whispered in my ear. I sighed and sunk down to the floor.

"Oh Crystal, you're so dumb sometimes." Darry sighed. I glared at him.

"Darrel Curtis, you may be a giant but right now I have a good feeling I could kick your ass if you push me to it." I growled and he shook his head.

"Crystal, I've known you forever. I know you think there hurt because you weren't strong enough. I know that just like I know you and Steve have been hiding something from us since you two were like, ten. Yes, it's your fault there in there… alive and not really hurt." Darry said softly. I felt my cheeks get hot and wet, but I didn't know why. Then I felt Soda, Darry, and Steve hug me along with each other, and I realized I was crying. I wasn't thinking about that though. I was thinking about the fact that Darry knew we were hiding something. That is soo not good. But I didn't really care, now that I think about it. Right at that moment, I was just glad to know everyone cared about me. Darry pulled away followed by the others. He smiled softly at us.

"I'm gonna go and cook us up some dinner alright. You two staying tonight right?" Darry asked. I looked at Steve. He looked like he was gonna say no. But Soda stepped in.

"Aw c'mon Steve! You're not REALLY gonna make sweet, innocent, little Crissy leave when she wants to hang out with us big macho guys are ya?" He asked and, not to anyone's surprise, Steve smiled.

"Fine. I'm gonna go get some smokes first though." He said as he walked out. "Mr. Macho, keep an eye on sweet, innocent, little Crissy would ya?" I snorted with Darry and Soda laughed but nodded. I waited until I heard the front door slam, then I threw my arms around Soda and hugged him hard. Darry shook his head and left us alone.

"Oh Soda, you absolutely, completely, and utterly the BEST friend a girl could ever have!" I laughed as I hugged him. I felt his arms go around my back and squeeze me tighter to him. His happy-go-lucky laugh echoed through the room and I felt his chest rumble with it.

"Thanks! I feel so loved now!" He laughed again. I pulled back and put on a fake disgusted face.

"Ew! Who on EARTH would love a no good hood like YOU Sodapop Curtis?!" I exclaimed loudly. Soda laughed and pointed at himself.

"Well I love me." He said and I giggled.

"If you can name two people that love you then I'll give you a present." I smirked and he flashed a grin.

"Easy! You love me and I love me! Now… present time!" He held his hand out and I chuckled.

"Close your eyes." I laughed and he closed his eyes obediently. "You know what? You're right Soda. I DO love you. In fact, I love you enough to do this." I said and I stuck my finger in my mouth and then in his ear. He jumped back and his eyes shot open.

"EW! Aw gross Crissy!!" I pretended to look hurt.

"What? You don't like your gift?" I asked and he stepped toward me dangerously.

"Five…four…three…" That's when I got the picture and ran. I slipped into the kitchen and out the back door hearing Soda run after me the whole time. I made it the gate and quickly climbed up and over it. Soda shook the gate but made no move go up or threw it.

"Your SO lucky you can climb like a squirrel or you'd be in HUGE trouble Missy!" He growled playfully. I stuck my tongue out at him and laughed at the funny face he made back. Suddenly, someone grabbed me around my waist and picked me up. I screamed and Soda hopped the fence and before I could even blink, he was ready to fight.

"Take it easy Kid. I ain't gonna hurt the princess." Dally's voice rang from behind me. He laughed and whispered in my ear, "That's payback for earlier." I grinned and threw my head back so it hit him in the nose. He yelped and put me down but didn't let me go so I stomped on his toe and he yelped again but this time he released me.

"Way to go Crissy!" Steve's voice came from behind Dally and I put up two thumbs up.

"Yeah, I'm cool like that." I grinned and Soda flung me over his shoulder suddenly. I gasped and yelled,

"Sodapop Patrick Curtis if you don't put me down this instant I'm gonna kick your ass!" He laughed really hard but put me down on my back on the porch.

"You know what? I think it's time for a little payback!" He smiled and began tickling me. I laughed uncontrollably and tried to twist away from him but he pinned me down.

"Soda! Please… STOP! I…can't…breathe! SODA!" I yelled as I tried to get free again and again. Steve was laughing and leaning on the door and Dally had gone inside to put some ice on his nose. Ha ha. It was seriously getting hard to breathe. "Soda! Stop! Please, Soda! I can't… BREATHE!" I screamed and he stopped and smirked down at me.

"Say I'm amazing and awesome and that you love me." He smiled mischievously and I glared but then smiled sweetly.

"Your horrible and awful, and I hate you." I smiled again, pinched his leg and rolled so that I ended up on top of him. He growled and crossed his arms over his chest and muttered "smart-ass" under his breath. Then he looked up at me with those damn puppy dog eyes of his.

"So you really don't love me Crissy?" He asked in a tiny voice. I KNEW he was faking but he was so damn convincing.

"Aw Soda you know I was just playing with ya! Course I love you!" He smiled and yelled,

"VICTORY!" I chuckled but then he rolled so now I was under him again. I went into full out panic mode.

"Oh god Soda! Please, please, PLEASE don't tickle me again I was about to pass out from lack of oxygen." He smiled but then someone cleared their voice and we looked up to see Two-Bit in the doorway smirking.

"Glory! I'd never thought I'd see the day where Crissy is on her back with someone on top of her." Two-Bit grinned bigger. I sat up and glared at him.

"You know something Two-Bit? You're a real creep and I mean more so then Soda AND Steve put together." I smiled at his hurt look.

"What? I thought you liked creeps considering you position with Soda… Don't cha want me too Babe?" I laughed.

"Can you really see right threw me? I want you, I need you, oh baby, oh baby." I said sarcastically and walked inside. But I stopped and called over my shoulder, "Soda's not a creep. He's just a hot-head with to many girls drooling after him." I said simply. I heard Two-Bit and Steve bust out into laughter and Soda yell, "Thanks a whole damn lot best friend!" I smiled and walked into the living room, going for the kitchen but stopped when I saw Johnny smiling at me from the couch.

"Good one." He smiled his shy smile and I almost broke into tears. His face was bruised up and you could tell his nose had been bleeding.

"Oh Johnnycake… I'm so sorry! I should have protected you and Pony better!" I mumbled as I sat down In Darry's chair and let me head fall into my hands. I heard Johnny get up and come towards me, but what I didn't expect was for him to wrap his arms around me and give me a hug and kiss my hair.

"Crissy. It wasn't your fault. I've had worse; you of all people know that. Pony's fine. You saved us Crystal." I couldn't look at him… that bruise was because of me. "Hay, remind me to NOT piss you off. You might break my nose in the water fountain." He smiled and I laughed. I turned around in my chair and hugged him really tight.

"You're the best Johnny." I whispered and let go of him. He smiled and I went and sat next to him on the couch. He looked at me suddenly and pushed up my jacket sleeve. I gasped and he growled.

"Stupid, mother-fuckin' sunuva bitch!" He growled as he looked at me. I gasped again.

"Johnny! Since when do you curse!?" I asked but he ignored my comment.

"You're fuckin' dad did that didn't he?" Johnny asked, pointing to the hand-shaped bruise on my arm. He always got mad when I mentioned my dad or came here with a new injury. I sighed and nodded sadly. He hissed something under his breath and looked like he wanted to punch something. I smiled.

"Now you know how WE feel when you came home with a new bruise from YOUR parents." I smiled knowingly and he scowled back.

"It's different!" He insisted but I just laughed and walked into Pony's room. He was reading and I knocked on the open door.

"Can I come in?" I asked, he looked up and smiled. The whole left side of his face was decorated with various scratches and bruises.

"Yeah! C'mon in!" He smiled again and I sighed and sat next to him on the bed. Being Ponyboy, he knew what I was thinking.

"No Crystal. It's not your fault. And no, I'm not mad at you and no again, it doesn't hurt at all." I sighed and glared at him.

"Are you some kind of damn psychic or something? You always know what I'm thinking!" I whined and he smiled.

"Nah, I just know you that well." I growled and mumbled, "Not fair!" Pony wrapped his arms around me and squeezed. I gasped as I lost my air supply and Pony heard and released me.

"Holy shit Ponyboy! When did you get so damn strong?" I asked and he smiled.

"Don't know." He shrugged. I smiled and hugged him tight.

"Even if I hate it, the cut DOES make you look tuff." I whispered. He chuckled and I left the room quietly. Two-Bit was waiting next to the door. When I walked out, he hit me on my butt. It just so happened that Steve came to get me for dinner and he saw the whole thing.

"TWO-BIT! YOU FUCKIN' PERVERT! KEEP YOUR GREASY HANDS OFF MY SISTER!" He hollered as he chased Two-Bit out of the house. I laughed and Pony came running out to see what was going on.

"What the hell?" He asked as he watched Steve run Two-Bit out of the house and onto the road. I laughed and shrugged at Pony.

"Dinners ready!" Soda shouted from god knows where. I smiled at Pony and we walked to the kitchen. Darry didn't make anything real special. Just fried chicken and mashed potatoes. It was silent for most dinner; just some talk about girls and cars but that was to be expected since I was the only girl in a group of boys. For me though, I was worried. Steve hadn't come back yet even though Two-Bit had. I couldn't even really eat; I mostly just pushed my food around on my plate and stared out the widow. Steve never came home. I was just about to bolt for the door when it opened and Steve came in. I jumped up and glared at him.

"Where the hell were you?!" I hissed, but stopped when I saw his eyes. They were horror struck and wet tracks were on his cheeks. "Steve? What's wrong?" I asked. Then the door opened and in walked…

Oh shit.

In walked my father. He had on his calm, good guy, good father act, but by Steve's face… I knew we were in big trouble.

"Crystal, say good bye. It's time to go home." He said in that snaky voice of his. I flinched and looked at Steve. His head hung low, chin touching his chest. I nodded and gave a wave to my friends. Darry smiled with Pony and Johnny growled and gripped the table to keep himself in his seat… but Soda, he had a suspicious look in his eyes. He was watching us and my father… how we reacted with each other. Like he was piecing a puzzle together. I thought about turning around and yelling, "Help! He's gonna hit us again! HELP!" But I didn't. I shut my mouth and left with my father and Steve. Whatever my father dealt out, we would take because this was our home. This was where the people we loved were. This was where we belonged and if staying here meant getting a little busted up… then that's the price we would pay and pay it gladly.

* * *

**Okay so... yeah. I had fun writing this chapter. Especially making Johnny curse... that was fun to imagine! 8D Lots and lots of BFFL moments between Crissy and Soda! =p **

**Oh yeah! I also don't own the line, "I want you, I need you, oh baby, oh baby." That's from a movie called 10 Things I Hate About You... it just fit so perfectly I HAD to borrow it. 8D**

**REVIEWS ARE CHOCOLATE!!!! 8D**

**-Chu-Chi!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: OMG Guess what!!! I still don't own the Outsiders!!! Still just Crissy but she's awesome so whatever... though I wouldn't mind owning Soda. *Naughty Smile***

**Chapter 4, Pain, Anger, and Fear ****With A Little Love Thrown In**.

As soon as we were in our driveway, Dad kicked Steve out of the car, literally, and pulled me out by my hair. He shoved me into the house and then grabbed Steve and brought him in too. I cowered in the corner as Dad stormed in. He started with Steve first as usual. That way Steve wouldn't be able to help me. I tried to pull on his arm and get him off Steve like always but he threw me back into a pile of broken beer bottles and my head hit the tip of one. I felt something sticky and wet slide down my face and I raised my hand to my forehead. I had a long gash that was oozing blood. I didn't really care if I bleed to death though; Steve was still being pounded on. I tried to run to him, but there was a sharp pain in my leg and when I looked down… a big piece of glass had been stabbed into my right calf. I yanked it out and threw it to the floor, ignoring the white-hot pain it caused. I ran at my dad and tackled him down. I started to slug him across the face. I put everything into those punches. But it wasn't enough. He threw me off and started to beat me. He slammed my right shoulder into a wall a few times. I heard a POP in my shoulder and cried out. He still kept hitting me and Steve lay whimpering on the floor. Finally, after about fifty punches later, he dropped me to the floor and I started to concentrate on breathing because it was getting hard TO breathe. Steve whimpered again and I wanted to get to the phone so I could call Soda or Dally… but I couldn't. I was in too much pain! My shoulder was dislocated for sure and my vision was starting to get blurry. Probably because my head was STILL bleeding. So was my leg. The front door banged as my dad left and I sighed. I was going to have to find some way to get to the phone. Only two people I could think to call that wouldn't overreact. Johnny and Pony. I pushed myself up into a sitting position slowly and crawled over to the phone, thanking whatever god was out there that it was on the floor and not on the wall. I called the Curtis house. Ring…ring…ring…

"Yeah?" Soda's voice came suddenly from the other sigh and I internally growled in anger. It was so hard to lie to Sodapop! I took a deep breath and willed my voice to sound happy.

"Hiya Soda! It's Crissy! Listen, is Ponyboy there? Or Johnny?" I asked, my voice becoming weaker with each word.

"Um yeah, there both here. I'll put Johnny on. Are you alright Criss? You sound… I don't know… hurt?" He asked, concerned.

"Nah! I'm good. Put Johnnycake on okay?" I said back, my voice shaking slightly with pain.

"Sure." There was silence and then Johnny's soft voice came from the end of the line. I started crying.

"Johnny! I need your help! Don't tell anyone but Pony if you must but I need help… now!" I begged quietly. My voice was pitifully frail. I hated it.

"What happened? You okay?" He asked quietly. I sucked in a painful gasp when I felt Steve's hand on the cut on my leg. "Crystal?!" Johnny yelled threw the phone.

"Just get over here…please…" I tried but I couldn't speak anymore. Steve was putting pressure on my leg and it hurt, it hurt real bad. Like rip the skin off your bones bad. I dropped the phone when Steve touched my shoulder. I screamed out and he ripped his hand away. I started crying again. Steve looked as bad as I felt. His lip was busted and his nose was bleeding really bad. He had dark purple bruises forming on his chest, and most likely some broken ribs. After we sat for a few minutes in a stupor, I heard the front door bang open and a shocked gasp. Before I could turn my head, Johnny had me in his arms easily and was carrying me out to a car.

"Pony! Get Steve! Now!" Johnny ordered. Pony was here? Oh well. I'll explain later. Johnny laid me down in the backseat, and Pony was walking out with Steve. That was the first time that I ever saw Steve actually smile at Ponyboy… they didn't like each other much. Johnny ran to help him in next to me and then Johnny pealed out like a bat out of hell. Last thing I remember was Pony staring at me with an expression that made me think he was gonna have a heart attack.

Then I fell into a dark pool called unconsciousness.

**….**

_"Johnny! Get the hell off of him!" I screamed. Johnny was on the porch getting slugged by his dad while his mom just watched. I ran up to his dad and jumped on his back. "Son of a BITCH!" I yelled as I pulled at his hair. Johnny looked up and his eyes widened. Steve ran over and pulled me off of Johnny's dad._

_"You little slut! How DARE you attack my husband!" His mom spat at me. I growled and pointed my finger at her._

_"You call me the slut? Take a look in the mirror bitch!" I hissed._

_"You should hold your tongue around your elders." She yelled at me._

_"And you should go straight to hell." I growled and then… she slapped me. I pounced on her and knocked her to the floor. Before I could do any real damage… Steve and Johnny were pulling me back while I screamed and called his parents every curse word I knew. Finally I gave up and glared at Johnny. We were in the lot now._

_"Why do you let them hit you like that?! Why don't you fight back?!" I asked. His black eyes dropped to the floor._

_"You don't understand… my parents don't pay any attention and when they're hitting me, they know I'm there." Johnny said as a few tears slid down his cheeks._

_"Actually Johnnycake… Steve and I may be the only people in the world who DO understand." I said slowly, my anger gone as quickly as it came. Johnny looked up and cocked and eye brow._

_"Whatcha talking bout' Crystal?" He asked. I sighed deeply. I never EVER wanted to tell any one this but I felt that Johnny needed to know. We were in the same position after all…_

_"Johnny… you know how we're always comin' on home with bruises and cuts and such?" He nodded. "Well you know how we say that we got into a fight with Socs?" He nodded again. "Well, that's a lie. Those bruises don't come from Socs… they come from our dad. He beats us too." I whispered the last part and Johnny's eyes grew wide._

_"You're bluffin'!" Johnny exclaimed. I shook my head._

_"Nah Johnny… I'm tellin' the truth man. He hits us almost every night. We don't tell no one because he would just hit us harder and make us move." I said sadly. Johnny shook his head and looked at Steve._

_"She's bluffin' right Steve? Please tell me she's bluffin'. Please tell me that your dad ain't beating y'all!" Johnny begged. Steve shook his head and smirked._

_"If I did I'd be lyin'." Steve said. Johnny looked at me and shook his head._

_"Oh glory. How long?" Johnny asked quietly. I sighed,_

_"Since I was nine. More specifically the night my ma' died." I said. "Johnny you have to swear that you will never EVER tell anyone unless Steve or I tell you it's alright okay?" I begged. Johnny looked torn between promising and going to tell someone. Then he sighed and said,_

_"Fine! I won't tell but I think y'all should tell someone bout' your pop." I smiled and nodded while Steve ruffled his hair. I threw my arms around him and hugged him._

_Ever since then, Johnny was protective over me and anything my father did to me set Johnny off._

**….**

I pulled open my eyes and groaned. The light was WAY to bright. Someone squeezed my hand and then a soft voice was in my ear.

"Crissy? Crissy, open your eyes. Please Crystal?" It was Pony. Ugh, I remembered last night, his frightened face. Damn. Guess the cat's outta the bag now huh? I slowly opened my eyes and found myself looking up into Pony's grayish-green ones. There were wet tracks down his cheeks. I sighed.

"Ponyboy Curtis you have better not have been cryin' over me or I'll skin ya." I threatened and he smiled.

"You scared the hell outta me Crystal! You just passed out and there was so much blood…" He shuddered. I sighed again.

"Ponyboy I'm fine. Really." I smiled and he glared at me.

"No you're not!" He argued. I rolled my eyes and squeezed his hand real hard. I heard a pop from his fingers and he yelped.

"Told ya I was fine." I laughed as he shook out his fingers. He glared again but smiled. "So, what's my damage?" I asked. He grinned.

"Your head needed to be stitched up along with your leg. You had a dislocated shoulder and some bruised and broken ribs." He informed. I sighed… that's why I felt so lousy. I was a mess.

"Great… I feel like Frankenstein." I muttered. "Ponyboy… you didn't tell no one did ya?" I asked suddenly. He shook his head.

"No, Johnny wouldn't let me. So your dad's been beating you and Steve since you guys were nine and ten?" He asked seriously. I nodded sadly and sighed big and long.

"Why does the gang think we're here?" I asked. Pony smiled.

"You got attacked by bout' five Socs and Steve fought them off and brought you home. Then he passed out and you called Johnny cause' you didn't want Soda to worry." Pony said proudly. My jaw would have hit the floor if it were possible.

"Ponyboy Curtis when did you start lyin' so damn good?" I asked in disbelief. He started to laugh loudly and I just grinned. The door opened suddenly and Johnny stood there.

"Crissy!" He called and ran over to my other side. He grabbed my other hand and squeezed it tightly in his. "You scared the hell outta me! I swear I'm gonna kill that piece of shit dad of yours!" He growled. I laughed and sat up. He tried to push me back down but I gave him my death glare. I stood right up and walked into the little bathroom to the side. Johnny and Pony gave me looks.

"Get back in bed Crystal." Johnny and Pony said at the same time. Though I wanted to, I mean I was in serious pain; I didn't because I needed to be tough.

"Wow… you guys have NO IDEA how freakin' wrong that sounded comin' outta your mouths!" I laughed hard and Pony rolled his eyes. Johnny sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're really messed up in the head, Criss." Johnny shook his head and sat down on the bed. I shrugged and went into the bathroom to change out of this horrible hospitable gown. Guess somebody had brought me clothes because there was a pile of fabric by the sink. I smiled and picked up the jean fabric on top… and my smile was gone. It was my shortest jean shorts. They were so short they barely cleared the top of my thighs. I picked up the white fabric and sighed. It was my see-threw white tank top that came up to the top of my belly button. Then I remembered something. My belly button piercing! Angela Shepard and I had been drunk one night and we pierced each other's belly buttons. I had a black diamond that she gave me to wear. Steve's gonna kill me if he sees it! Shit! I sighed and prayed he wouldn't freak out to bad. I slipped on the shorts and then the top. I grabbed the brush that was next to the pile of clothes and brushed my hair. It was all frizzed up so I splashed some water in it and scrunched it up. It now fell in perfect little tousles down my back to my waist. I groaned when I looked in the mirror. Two-Bit had most defiantly grabbed my clothes. I could just see Steve's face now. Ugh… my face was bruised real badly. I sighed and walked out into the room… then froze. Soda was standing there with Pony and Johnny looking worried as hell. When he saw me, a big grin spread across his beautiful face.

"Nice outfit Crissy… looks good on ya." He smirked. I growled.

"Shut up." I hissed.

"No seriously… you look good." He smiled. I blushed furiously. My god he's gorgeous! "Nice jewel." He added. I moaned.

"Steve's gonna ring my neck when he sees it!" I groaned and covered my head with a pillow. Johnny and Pony chuckled and left to get some food. Soda smiled as I sat next to him on the bed.

"Rawr!' He yelled suddenly and attacked me. I gasped and tried to fight him off but he already had me pinned.

"Soda… get off me please." I said.

"No way! Your comfy." He grinned and put all his weight on me. I coughed at the sudden pressure. Then I realized he was lying on top of me in a bed! HOLY SHIT!

"Okay… um rape?" I said and he lifted his weight off of me. I grinned at him like he was grinning at me. Suddenly though, his grin faded and he started biting his lip.

"What wrong Soda?" I asked.

"Crystal, do you have any idea how badly you scared me? Any idea how worried I was when Pony and Johnny suddenly said you were hurt and bolted out of the house? I didn't know where you were, if you were okay… if you were ALIVE! I know Pony was lying to me… spill it Crissy. You can lie to everybody else… except me. What's really going on?" He asked quietly and seriously. I sighed. I should have known I couldn't lie to Soda forever. I couldn't lie… but I could play a good game.

"Okay Soda. It's Steve. He hits me all the time and blames it on Socs. He says if I tell anyone he'll flush my pet cloud down the toilet and then we'll move to happy fun time town!" He actually believed me in the beginning but when I got all sarcastic he glared.

"That's not even funny Crissy." He groaned. I smiled and laughed.

"Oh yes it is!" I argued.

"No it's not!"

"Yup."

"Nope!"

"Yup!"

"Nope!" This was getting old now. I needed to switch him around.

"Nope!" I laughed again.

"Yep!" He said back. I smirked.

"Oh Soda! I'm so glad you see it my way." I laughed and he glared at me again. I laughed and pecked him on the cheek. "Bye babe!" I called as I ran down the hall. Messing around with Soda always made me smile like a mad man. I went to check on my brother and it turns out he already checked himself out. I nodded to the girl in the check out center. She knows I check out when I please also. I've been here plenty of times for her to remember me. I walked right outside and started down the street. Course I should have known that was stupid because halfway to The Dingo… a red T-bird pulled up behind me and a few Socs piled out. I recognized the blonde one from that day in the park. He was drunk… again.

"Hay baby! You member' me right?" He started laughing real hard. I glared but stood my ground. I put my middle finger up and smirked.

"Sit on it and spin you asshole. I don't want any trouble but if you do then I ain't gonna argue." I growled. He immediately started coming toward me with his three friends behind him.

"I told you once to watch your manners around us… guess you didn't listen. Maybe we should resume our session. Grab her." He said coolly. That was my cue to run. I spun around and took off down the street. I could hear some getting in the car and some coming after me. Someone tackled me from behind and I got knocked down. I was already in a bit of pain and these assholes weren't helping. I kicked the guy off me and ran again. Then I noticed Tim Shepard's house just in front of me. I hopped his fence and banged on the door.

"TIM! CURLY, ANGELA! SOMEBODY OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" I screamed as the Socs came at me again. The door opened suddenly and Angela Shepard pulled me in. She slammed the door shut and locked it.

"Tim! Curly! Get your lazy asses down here!" She hollered. Suddenly Tim and Curly Shepard came down the stairs.

Angela Shepard was my best girlfriend. She was tall with light brown hair that was wavy and down to her shoulders. She had hazel eyes that were really big and would be pretty if it weren't for all the make-up around them. She was the greasiest girl I knew. Right now she was wearing a black tube top that showed the sides of her breasts and in the back was all strings. With that she had on a hot-pink mini skirt and fishnets were on her long legs. She had on a pair of black high heels and blood red lipstick. Her eyes were lined with eyeliner, mascara, and eye shadow. Even if she dressed, and acted, like a slut… she was still very kind to me. It was fun to hang out with her. She was only sixteen but I'm pretty sure she's screwed more then half of the greasers in the town.

Curly Shepard was the youngest of the Shepard's. He was fourteen and kinda creepy. He had curly dark brown hair and hazel eyes like his sister. He was short but built really well. Curly was really funny. He was always hitting on me and Steve would always beat his ass along with Soda but he always kept on flirting. The kid got in tons of trouble all the time. What made him creepy though was how his beady little eyes always were glued to my chest. It disturbs me.

And then Tim. The oldest Shepard boy. Tim was really tall and really strong. He had light brown hair but he keeps it buzzed because he's always in and out of jail. He also had the hazel eyes his family has. Tim was generally a cold person... just like Dally. At first glance you'd say he was any old hood. Maybe worse. But I've known Tim for a while. Tim is tough as nails but he's really protective over the people he cares about. He really likes me too. He actually calls me by his own little pet name for me, Snickers. The only reason I got this nickname was because when we were kids I would right Snickers across his forehead when he was asleep. Tim was really funny too. Always cracking jokes and such. He was eighteen I believe.

"Whatcha yapping bout' now Angie? I was sleepin'" Curly complained. I ran to the door and leaned against it like Angie was while the Socs banged into it.

"Tim! A little help please!" I yelled. Tim seemed to snap out of his daze and look me over. He shook his head and clucked his tongue.

"What's with you and these damn Socs? Open the door and step back." He said. Angela and I pulled open the door and Tim made a flying leap for the Socs. Curly was right behind him. I sighed in relief as the Socs started to run after Tim and Curly gave them a good beating. I ran out of the house and hugged Tim around his waist.

"Hi!" I smiled and he shook his head but chuckled.

"Snickers, you're like some kind of witch. You can make anyone do what you want with that look." He smiled and walked inside. Curly walked past me and whistled. I stuck my foot out and he tripped. I laughed with Angela who was now pulling me inside.

"Geez Crissy! I haven't seen you in weeks! Where ya been?" She laughed. I gave a sly smile.

"In Dally's pants of course." I said slyly. She has had a HUGE crush on Dally since as long as I knew her. Her mouth dropped to the floor and her eyes got big. I laughed and hugged her.

"Aw Angie, relax! I was only kiddin' with ya!" I laughed again and she glared at me.

"Your just like your brother… only prettier." She smiled with me this time as we walked into her room. She shut the door and looked me over, I sighed and sat down on her bed. She hopped next to me and started jumping up and down yelling,

"WHO IS IT, WHO IS IT, WHO IS IT!" Angela had this gift of knowing when someone liked someone else. I groaned and fell backwards. I could trust her not to tell but I didn't want too.

"I'm not gonna tell you. So quit askin'!" I growled. She stopped jumping and looked at me for a little while. Then she smiled.

"It's Sodapop isn't it?" She said with a nod. I moaned and rolled onto my stomach. "I knew it. I've seen how you too act with each other… you're like MADE for each other!" She said knowingly. I sat up and looked at her with a sad smile.

"Yeah, it's Soda. But I can't ask him out Ang! He's datin' that one girl… what's her name? Oh yeah! Sandy! Yeah… he's datin' Sandy." I said sadly. I really didn't like Sandy. She always acted so damn dramatic and she cheats on him ALL THE TIME! Then he finds out and dumps her and then she starts crying to him and he takes her back! It's like a vicious cycle! I mostly hate how she makes him think he's in LOVE with her when really, she's just using the poor boy!

"He's STILL datin' that broad? I thought he dumped her cause' she was with that one kid from the Brumley Boys." Angela said. I laughed bitterly.

"He DID break up with her, but she came and started cryin' to him sayin' how she was sorry and that she loved him so he took her back." I said angrily. She sighed and looked out the window, then looked back at me. She smiled like a Cheshire cat suddenly and grabbed my hand.

"I bet I can make ya stand out to Sodapop!" She laughed as she pulled me towards the bathroom. I freaked out… last time I went in there with Angela I came out looking like a blasted hooker and Two-Bit was all over me!

"Oh hell no!" I yelled as I pulled free and ran for the door with Angela chasing me. I took the stairs two at a time in my haste to get away and ended up smacking into Tim. He grabbed my arm and then Angela's when she came running towards me.

"What in hell are you two doin'?" He asked with annoyance in his gruff voice.

"Angela wants to… dress me!" I choked out. He looked at me and laughed lightly.

"Oh, I see. Well that's not gonna happen because after Randle is done skinnin' you, it'll be my turn and he'll bring Dally to help him." Tim said as he released my arm… but not Angela's. I smiled evilly at her. "You best be goin' Snickers. Steve's gonna get worried." He said. I smiled and walked out the door with a wave. Suddenly a hand was on my shoulder and I spun around to come face to face with Curly. He grinned and held something silver in his hand.

"If ya gonna be headin' all around town with them damn Socs… you best carry one of these from now on." He said. I grinned and took the switchblade from him.

"Thanks." I said as I started home. Not to my house… to my REAL home, to the Curtis'.

* * *

**M'kay! Another chapter! I thougt the whole "Snickers" thing was random but funny so I used it. My BFF calls me Snickers sometimes so thats where I got it from. :p**

**REVIEWS ARE SEXY!!**

**-Chu-Chi!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: *sigh* I'm gonna get tired of repeating myself but *slaps herself* GET OVER IT AND SAY THE DISCLAIMER. I do not own the Outsiders!!! **

**P.S. I know it sounds like there is something more with Crissy and Johnny but there isn't... they're just really good buddies. 8D **

**ENJOY!**

**Chapter 5, Comfort And Nightmares.**

Next couple of weeks, the boys watched me real closely. Especially Soda. Pony didn't tell anyone like he promised, he just was happy to be there for me like I always was for him. My dad's beating got worse and worse as the days went by. He was getting to the point where Steve and I were afraid he was going to start using weapons. Dad had also barred our window. He caught us sneaking out one night and after he beat us silly, he barred the damn window so now we had no CHOICE but to face him. Steve was even MORE bitter then usual unless he was with Evie, his new girlfriend. I was… empty. I just shut down. I didn't sleep, I didn't eat, I didn't even talk anymore. Everything was in a daze for me. I lay down at night, waited for the sun, got up and went into the shower, went to the Curtis', and sat out front on the porch all day. That was it. Then I'd go home with Steve and our dad would hit us.

A part of me felt bad because Soda was going CRAZY trying to make me smile. I couldn't though. I felt if I showed ANY emotion I would start crying. Johnny was the only one that DIDN'T worry about me. He would sit with me usually. Sometimes we'd talk but mostly we would just sit there. Sometimes we'd go to the river and just watch the sun dance off the river in sparkles of light. Once or twice we cried. We understood each other. Johnny would comfort me and I would comfort him right back.

He was a real good buddy.

Today was one of those days. One of the days when it was all too much and we just broke down. I had been sitting on the dock when Johnny started crying. I ran over and wrapped my arms around him.

"Oh Johnny." I whispered and I pressed my face into his black hair. He cried for a minute and then he looked at me.

"Criss, I can't take it anymore! My folks don't care bout' me at all! All I am to them is a damn punchin' bag!" He started cryin' again. I hugged him tighter. "I'll kill myself Crystal. That way I'd be free." He said suddenly. Looking at me desperately. I stared back at him.

"Johnny Cade I swear to god if you even TRY…" I didn't bother finishing my threat.

"There's gotta be something I could do to get away." He said quietly.

"I would say run away… but I don't want ya to run away Johnny. Can't you just stay at the Curtis'? That way you won't get hit no more." I said. He looked at me and shook his head.

"What about you? You think I'd be okay knowin' I'm safe and you're out there fightin' off your pop? If you do then you really must have something wrong with ya. Your one of my best friends." He said. I sighed.

"Johnny, don't worry bout' me so much. I'm alive aren't I? Which means I'm doin' a pretty damn good job on the whole 'life' thing." I punched his arm playfully and he actually smiled a little. He looked at the river for a minute and then he sighed.

"It's getting' dark. We'd best be heading back." Johnny said. I nodded and Johnny walked me back to the Curtis'… then said he was gonna go find Dally. I stepped into the house and saw Soda on the couch, staring blankly at the wall with a lost look in his eyes. That was not good. To make it even worse… there were tear tracks down his cheeks. Just like that… I was back to the old me. I could be sad, mad. Hurt, or even dead… that's fine. But Soda HAD to be happy. He was too good to be sad. I sat next to him on the couch and shook him a little. He looked at me and more tears went down his face. My heart broke in two.

"Oh Sodapop! What happened to you?" I said as I pulled him to me. He laid his head in my lap and started crying again, his hand grasping my shirt to him tightly. I just ran my fingers threw his hair and hunched over him protectively and let him cry. He stopped after a while and just looked at me with the most heart-breaking look in his eyes. Like he expected me to leave him here all alone. It scared me to hell. After what seemed like FOREVER he spoke. His voice was thick and rough from crying.

"Crissy… you know I was in love with Sandy right?" He said quietly.

"Yeah, you told me. What happened, honey?" I said, still stroking his hair.

"Remember how I was gonna ask her to marry me?" He said, his voice breaking on a sob. My lower lip trembled and I bit it to keep it steady.

"Yeah. I remember." I said. I was trying to hold back from crying. I remembered that day. That was when I stopped sleeping because I kept having dreams of them together. It killed me knowing he was gonna marry someone who didn't really love him.

"Well… I found out she was pregnant, and it wasn't mine." He said. I tried to stifle a gasp. That fucking slut! I'm gonna kill the bitch! I retained my anger and kissed his head.

"I'm sorry she did that Pepsi. You don't deserve that." I said sadly.

"You know what else? I didn't care Crissy. I asked her to marry me anyway. I would have taken care of her AND the baby. But she still said no." He started crying again. He was so good to everyone. That baby wasn't his but he would have raised it like WAS his and that little skank STILL turned him down? I kissed his head and just stroked his hair and told him it would be alright. I hated seeing Soda so broken like this. It wasn't fair that he loved her like that and she just broke his heart into little pieces. He started to fall asleep after a while. He pulled his lids back halfway and looked up at me.

"Crissy?" He mumbled. His eyes were red and puffy from crying and his voice was rough.

"Yeah Pepsi-Cola?" I said. He smiled at his nickname.

"Please don't leave me." He said quietly. I felt like screaming, I WOULD NEVER EVER LEAVE YOU SODA! I LOVE YOU DAMNIT!" But I didn't. I just nodded and said.

"Okay." But that wasn't good enough for him. He looked at me suspiciously.

"Promise?" He asked. I smiled and shook my head.

"Nope. I don't promise… I SWEAR I won't leave you Soda." I said as I smiled. I think he was going to say thanks but his eyes lid closed, unable to keep them open any longer, and he fell asleep. I just stroked his hair for a little bit but after a while… I fell asleep too.

**….**

"Relax Steve! Look, she's right there with Soda." Someone said. I couldn't place whom because I was still half asleep. "Why don't y'all crash here tonight? You can have the couch and I'll put her with Soda and Ponyboy." That same person said again. Then Steve spoke. Only reason I knew it was him was because I was USED to his voice waking me up.

"I guess that's okay…" He said. Suddenly I felt a weight lift of my lap and then the couch disappeared from under me. Whoever had me, they smelt really good. I felt something soft under me suddenly… like a bed maybe? The other side sunk down and somebody mumbled,

"Where's Crissy? She… promised." He said on a yawn.

"She's right next to ya little buddy." That person said. Oh… that was Darry! The person next to me was Soda! I'm so smart! The bed shifted and arms went around my waist as I was pulled to Soda's chest. "Wow..." I thought, "This is heaven." I snuggled closer to Soda again and fell asleep. If I could have wished for one thing it would have been to fall asleep in Soda's arms every night. It was the best feeling in the world.

**….**

_I was in a clearing, a perfectly round clearing. A blue moon shined over my head and it gave the place a blue tint that made it look magical._

_"Wow." I said. I could see my words! They were a silver color! How cool! I looked at myself and gasped. I was in a white dress that came to my knees in the front and in the back it went to the floor. It was strapless and my hair was up in a bun. The scar on my head was gone. I had no shoes on and I could feel the cold grass against my feet. I fell back into the grass and breathed deeply. It smelt like rain. I smiled and closed my eyes. Something wet hit my forehead suddenly. I flinched but kept my eyes closed. It hit me again and I looked up._

_I screamed as I scrambled backwards. My mom was standing over me and her mouth was bleeding along with a hole right in her chest. She stumbled towards me and I screamed again. Just as she was gonna grab me… I felt the tree I had been leaning on disappear. I looked around and I was in a war zone obviously. There were army men everywhere and gunshots. As I looked around, somebody tapped my shoulder and I turned around… scared to see my zombie mom standing there. But instead of my mom, Soda and Steve stood there. I smiled for a minute but then I looked them over. They were in army uniforms and had guns in there hands. I screamed again._

_"NO!" I screamed. Suddenly the war grounds were gone and my father stood in front of me._

_"You've been a bad girl Crystal!" He yelled and came charging towards me. Then he was gone. I sighed and turned around… only to come face to face with my mom, Soda and Steve, and my father. I fell to my knees and started to scream as they closed in around me. "Please wake up! Please, please! WAKE UP!"I thought._

**….**

I shot up in bed and screamed out as loud as I could. The bed bounced on both sides of me.

"Sshh Crissy! It's alright… your alright! Sshh!" Soda's voice came from my right side.

"Want me to go get Darry? Or Steve?" Ponyboy's voice came from my left side. I was gripping the bed sheets in my hands tightly and tears were streaming down my face as I gasped for breath and sobbed at the same time.

"No. Go get some water for her alright." Soda said as he pushed my hair out of my eyes. I could barely see him because of the tears. I felt Pony get up and leave. I broke then. I didn't like crying in front of anyone but Soda and Steve. I slumped forward and Soda caught me just like I knew he would.

"Sshh, it's alright Crissy… I gotcha." He mumbled into my hair. He pulled me onto his lap and rocked me. I prayed a silent thanks to God for giving me Sodapop. I didn't know how I would cope without that boy. Pony came back in and gave me the glass of water. By then I was a little better. I had stopped crying but I was still shaking like a leaf. Pony sat on my other side and put an arm around my shoulders.

"You okay Criss? You scared the hell outta me and Soda." Pony said. I shuddered and nodded to him.

"I'm f-fine. J-just a r-really b-bad dream." I stuttered as I shivered.

"Well, what was the dream?" Soda asked quietly. I froze… I couldn't tell him about my dad! So instead I told him about the OTHER two parts…

"It was bout' my mom. She was coming at me all bloodied and scary looking. But then she disappeared and I saw you and Steve in the army at Vietnam. I'm not sure what scared me worst… my mom or you two in the war." I whispered quietly. Ponyboy nodded with me.

"I'd be scared too." He said. I grabbed his hand and held it tightly to my chest. Then I leaned back against Soda's chest and sighed.

"Sodapop I swear if you EVER even THINK about going to that damned war I'll skin you better then Darry EVER could! And Pony'll help me too, won't cha Pony?" I said. Ponyboy nodded.

"Damn straight." He said. Soda chuckled.

"I ain't going in no war guys, relax a bit will ya?" He smiled his classic smile. Pony grinned with me and then I yawned. Pony and Soda chuckled.

"I think it's funny how she wakes us up and then she's the one to go to sleep first." Ponyboy said. I smiled and whacked him on the arm.

"Shut it!" I said. Soda lay down and pulled my back against his chest. Then he wrapped his arms around my waist and snuggled into my hair. I pulled Pony towards me and he snuggled up in my chest.

We were all out in an instant.

* * *

**Okay so there it is! CHAPTER 5! WHOO HOO WAFFLES!!! **

**REVIEWS ARE SOFT KITTENS!!!!**

**-Chu-Chi! 8D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Okay so I STILL do not own those fine men. Oh well. At least I got Crissy! YAY! 8D**

**Really short chapter but I FINALLY got to introduce RAVEN! *My baby* Ummm so yeah... **

**ONWARD SANTA!!!**

**Chapter 6, The Fight To End All Fights. **

When Soda, Ponyboy, Steve, Darry, and I all woke up… Darry made us some eggs and then sent Ponyboy off to school. I was supposed to be in school… but I failed in it horribly. So Steve let me drop out like him and Soda. And no, I didn't do it just because they did. The only thing I was passing in was gym. Besides that I was failing. So I got to stay home now. After breakfast though… Steve and I needed to head home to change. So we started walking down the road to our house. When we got there… everything was real quiet inside. Dad was asleep on the couch so Steve and I headed upstairs immediately. I jumped into the shower really fast and washed away all the dirt on my body. I stepped out and looked in the mirror with a sigh.

The cut on my fore head wasn't very big but it was noticeable. It was all stitched and red and made me look tuff but fragile. The cut on my leg wasn't even stitched because it was so small. I had even more bruises on my body then usual. With a sigh, I pulled on my underwear and bra and then I pulled out my favorite shirt. It was a red tank top with the word "Greaser!" cut out across the front. So I slipped that on over a black tank so it wouldn't show my breasts. Then I pulled on some dark blue jeans and my jean jacket. All I did to my hair was put some grease and water in it to make it really wavy. I stepped out and Steve went in. I sat down on my bed and sighed. For some reason… I felt like something really bad was going to happen today. But at the same time… I had a feeling that something really good was going to happen also. Steve walked out in a brown T-shirt and dark blue jeans with his hair greased back like usual.

"Let's go." He said.

Steve and I tiptoed out of our room and surveyed the area. Dad was passed out on the couch still with a broken beer bottled in his hand. So we started walking quietly towards the door but right next to the foot of the couch, my foot slipped underneath the couch and I felt a sharp prick.

"Ow!" I said and yanked my foot away.

"What?' Steve asked.

"I don't know… something poked my foot." I muttered as I got down on my hands and knees and looked under the couch. I pulled out two boxes of needles and, bless my heart, a gun. I gasped and held them up to Steve. The needles were filled with a yellow liquid.

"Steve… this isn't…" I whispered as I stared in horror at the needles.

"It's heroin. Oh glory." Steve said as he took the needles from me. I stared at Steve, completely horrified. We were both so completely gone that we didn't see a figure move behind Steve. Suddenly, Steve was against the wall and my dad was choking him and banging his head against the wall.

"You fucking little pricks! Snooping through MY stuff!" I sat there horrified. I couldn't move I was so scared. "Take off your clothes. I'm gonna teach you a lesson." My dad growled. That's when I was done. My dad wasn't my dad anymore… not even a little bit. I realized that's another reason I didn't tell anyone about my dad, I was hoping that somewhere inside of him… my old dad was still there. This was not my dad though, this was a monster that was about to rape my brother and then most likely… me. I stood up and cocked the gun.

"Hay!" I yelled. My dad released Steve and he fell to the floor. Dad turned around and I shot. I hit him right in his left arm. He screamed and fell to the floor. I grabbed Steve and started pulling him towards our room.

"C'mon Steve! We gotta go!" I yelled. Once we were in our room I shut the door and locked it. Then I shoved the dresser against the door and looked at Steve.

"Block it. Help me." I said coldly. Steve started pulling the mattress against the door too followed by a bunch of tables. Then we both put the bed frame up just as my dad banged on the door.

"Let me in! That was very rude what you did Crystal!" He yelled as he banged the door.

"The window." I said and ran over. It was barred, but the middle bar was rusted. I pulled on it and it moved a little. "Help me Steve!" I said. He was in the closet getting bags. He ran over and we both pulled on the bar a few times and after a while, it gave and snapped along with the two next to it… it made a hole just big enough for us to get through. "Start getting our clothes." I stated. Our dad was still pounding and pushing on the door but it wasn't giving away very much. Steve tossed me our bags. Mine was a black duffel and an army green backpack and his was a navy blue duffle and a white backpack. I yanked open my duffle and started packing every single article of clothes I owned in it. Time was running out… dad was getting through the door.

"Crissy! Steve, what's going on?" Someone called from behind us. We spun around and Soda was climbing in through my window. This was it… I needed to tell him the truth but right now I needed his help.

"Hold the door closed Soda! Don't let that monster get in and I swear on my mom's grave that I'll explain everything once we're out!" I pleaded. Soda didn't even stop to think as he ran and pushed against the door. I went back to packing my clothes. Once I had fit every single article of clothing in the duffle, I zipped it shut and started with my backpack. I went around my room packing things like my books, perfume, and pictures. By the time I was done, Steve was already helping Soda with the door. I grabbed Steve's duffle and threw it out the window. Then did the same with mine. I threw Steve's backpack out but when I went to get mine Steve stopped me.

"Crissy! The wall and the mattress!" He cried from his position with Soda. I ran to the wall and without stopping, punched it. The thin layer of cardboard we had put there broke under my fist and I reached in and pulled out $115.76 and stuffed it into my backpack. We had been saving that money since we were kids. I ran to the mattress that Steve and Soda were pushing against.

"Move!" I screamed and they did what they were told. I pulled out my switch and cut a huge circle in the mattress and reached in and looked around until I found the small box we kept in there. I threw it in my backpack and then threw the bag out of the window.

"C'mon! Let's go!" I yelled. Soda hopped out first and grabbed the bags. Then I literally pushed Steve out as the door banged open. My dad grabbed me around the waist but I could see his shot wound so I punched it hard. He screamed and let me go and I jumped out the window. Steve caught me before I could get hurt. Soda was already on the other side of our fence with our bags. Steve climbed over but then I remembered Raven!

Raven was a German Shepard I found wondering around and kept out back. I trained her but only Steve knew about her. I ran back and unhooked her from the leash.

"C'mon Rave! Time to go!" I yelled as I ran. Raven ran after me and jumped the fence without a sweat and went and stood beside Steve. I climbed quickly as dad ran out of the house. It was too late though. Steve and I were free from him for good. Steve handed me my backpack and Soda took my duffle. We started running down the street with Raven running next to us. "Freedom." My mind thought bitterly. We may be free, but we were homeless. Well... this is great. Not.

* * *

**Yay! They is free from Mr. ASSHOLE OF A DAD! I actually based this off of my best friends' dad. :( Poor Jakey. OH WELL ALL IS BETTER NOW! **

**So one more thing... **

**REVIEWS ARE COOKIES & MILK!!! **

**-Chu-Chi! 8D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: *sobs* I STILL DON'T OWN THEM! CURSES!!! **

**Chapter 7, A Place To Call Home.**

We sprinted down the street for a while until we were about a block away from Soda's house. I stopped and fell to my knees. Raven whined and nudged me with her nose. I smiled a little and petted the top of her head. Soda dropped next to me, panting just as much as Raven was. Steve sunk down on my other side and lay back on the grass. I crossed my legs and leaned against Soda… he was stroking Raven sweetly.

"Damn Crissy! You never told me you had a dog!" He laughed breathlessly. I grinned.

"I kept her out back because dad would have put her out on the streets… she was just so sweet." I said back… my voice was breathless also.

"What's her name?" He asked.

"Raven. You can call her Rave, Rae, Ravey… she answers to any names like that." I mumbled. Soda grinned.

"Does she do tricks?" He asked like a little boy. I smiled.

"Not really. She knows sit, stay, come, and attack. But that's it." I said. Soda petted Raven a little while as we all sat in silence. Finally Steve gave up.

"Just ask Soda! I know you; you're dying to ask what the hell just happened!" Steve said, sitting up and staring at Soda. Soda sighed and looked at Steve and then at me.

"Okay… what's really been going on?" Soda asked. Steve looked down and internally I laughed… he wanted Soda to ask and Soda asked. Since it was clear that Steve wasn't going to answer, I looked up at Soda.

"You wanna know what really happened? Our mom died. Our mom died and instead of our father being there for us… he took his anger and pain out on us. He hit us and screamed at us and we took it quietly. But it got worse and worse. Those bad bruises and cut we always came over with? Yeah, that was all from him. Not Socs. Today we found heroin under the couch and a gun. Dada caught us and went to rape and most likely beat us. So I shot him. Right in the arm. And I don't regret it whatsoever. He can go straight to hell… because he is NOT my father anymore, not at all. I would rather live on the streets then with him any longer." By the time I had finished… tears were pooling in Steve's eyes and were running down my cheeks. I wanted to just crawl in a hole and die. My own father didn't care about me at all. I sucked in a ragged breath and stared at the ground. Damn this life. I really wish somebody would come and shoot me right about now. I really didn't want to be here anymore.

Raven whimpered and licked my face. I stroked her absentmindedly. Steve stood up suddenly and walked away. He never cried in front of any one except me and, sometimes, Soda, but not usually. I looked after him for a moment and then Soda grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. His eyes weren't what I expected. I expected him to be mad at us for lying to him. I expected him to think I was stupid for not telling him… but his eyes were kind and caring, just like always.

"Crystal, why didn't you tell anyone sooner?" He asked quietly. I sighed and scrubbed away my tears.

"Because dad said if we told anyone and he found out he'd move us so far away that we would have to go over oceans to get to y'all. I couldn't risk leaving. I love it here. I love the guys. My best friend lives here! How could I leave him?" He smiled at the last part as I said it.

"True… what would I do with myself if you left?" He smiled.

"Crash and burn baby." I grinned back. He always had this way of making me smile when I want to burst into tears.

"Seriously Crissy? Do you think I would LET you leave me? I'd drag you into my cellar and hide you there before that idiot had a chance to tell you that you were moving." Soda said seriously. I glared at him.

"So you'd put me in a cellar? You ass." I said. He grinned like a little boy and laughed. I looked down then as something came to mind, where would we stay? Then Soda as always, read my mind.

"You'll stay with me. We got and extra mattress under our bed that you and Steve can sleep on." He said with a smile. I sighed.

"That's not exactly fair to Darry, Sodapop." I said. Soda snorted.

"Darry loves y'all as if you were his brother and sister. You know that." He said. I grinned and threw my arms around him, knocking him to the floor.

"Oh Soda! You have no idea how completely wonderful you are to me! I have no clue what I did to deserve you!" I grinned as I hugged him. Happy tears fell down my cheeks. Soda pushed me back gently with a goofy grin on his face. That grin went away when he saw my tears.

"Aw Crissy! Please don't cry anymore! You're killin' me." He said sweetly and he whipped them away. I laughed and pushed his hands away.

"No smarty! They're happy tears!" I laughed again. Soda laughed too. Suddenly, I saw Steve walking slowly over to us. I grinned and stood up quickly. I ran straight up to him and jumped into his arms. He caught me out of instinct and smiled.

"Hi." He said. I grinned.

"Hi… lets go home." I said. He set me down and looked at me weird.

"What?" He asked.

"You know, home. Our home with Soda and Pony and Superman!" I said. He grinned and looked over at Soda who was strolling over to us. Soda gave Steve a hug and whispered something. Then they both looked at me and I backed away. That look only meant one thing.

"Get her." Soda growled playfully. I screamed and ran. Raven ran over to me and started barking and growling at Soda and Steve. I grinned and laughed.

"Ha ha losers!" I cried as I fell back laughing. "C'mere Rae. No eating my boys." Just like that! I remember the box and ran back to my backpack. I heard Soda and Steve follow me. I pulled out the box and held it up for Steve to see. He grinned and took it from me. He ripped it open and pulled out three square items.

"What're those?" Soda asked. I grinned and took them from Steve. They were our pictures. The first one was of Steve, my mamma, and me. We were at the park. Steve was leaning his elbows on a swing with his face in his hands and his knees in the dirt, grinning off to the side. He was only ten in this picture. He wore black pants and a white T-shirt. In the middle was my mamma. She wore a long white skirt and a black shirt. She was sitting on the middle swing laughing at me. I was standing on the swing to the left. My white dress billowed behind me as I grinned at the camera. I was nine in the picture. The frame was white and Steve had written in black marker, "Family Stays Strong." Soda looked at the picture and grinned.

"You look like your mom Criss." He said quietly. I grinned even bigger if that was possible.

"I know right!" Steve laughed. I put that one in the back and looked at the next one. It was of Steve, Soda, and I when we were thirteen and fourteen. We had finished our tree house and were all laughing at fourteen-year-old Soda who hung upside down by his knees from a branch. Steve sat underneath Soda, pulling on his hair with a goofy grin. I was in Steve lap with my arms spread wide and a huge grin on my face. The frame was blue and in black I had written "Buddies Stick Together Forever." Soda laughed when I passed it to him.

"We were a couple of down right fools." Soda laughed. Steve chuckled and we both said.

"Yes we freakin' were!" That started us laughing again until Soda managed to say,

"What's the other one?" I stopped laughing and switched the frames one last time and without looking… I gave it to Soda. It was a picture of his family all together that I was going to give to him when he turned eighteen but now was close enough. Soda's eyes widened as he looked at me.

"Where… where did you get this?" He asked. I grinned.

"Two-Bit's mom gave it to me. She said it was for your eighteenth birthday but... close enough." I grinned. Steve smirked.

"We're so good. KNUCKLES!" He grinned and I punched his knuckles. Soda threw his arms around us.

"Thanks guys! This is the best present ever!" He laughed. He was grinning so big it looked like it would hurt. It was the kind of grin that you couldn't help but grin back at. Raven barked suddenly and started whining. I grinned and laughed. She always did that when she was bored. I smiled up at my boys and said,

"Let's go home." And for the first time in my life… I wasn't scared of going home.

**….**

We made it to Soda's house at around midnight. Steve and I were sitting on the porch petting Raven whilst Soda went inside to speak to Darry and Ponyboy alone. We would have gone to but… we thought it best if Soda just told them. I didn't want to end up crying in front of them. Steve was staring at me in that way that says, "Spill it or I'll make you spill it." I sighed and looked away from him. He laughed loudly. Next thing I knew he had pulled me onto his lap. I chuckled and hugged him around the neck and yelled,

"SANTA!" Steve glared but then it softened and he said.

"Ho, ho, ho." I laughed. He turned serious and I sighed. "What the hell is eatin' at cha kid?"

"Geez Steve, you really should be a poet! You have this way with words! It's amazing!" I gushed. He glared.

"I'm dead serious." He mumbled. I sighed.

"Steve, if Darry doesn't want us to stay here… then whata we gonna do?" I asked softly. I didn't wanna go back to our house; dad would kill us for real! Raven whined softly and licked my face. That's when I realized I was crying again. Damn. Steve hugged me.

"If we can't stay here, then we'll go to Two-Bit's place. You could room with Emily." He grinned and I snorted.

"Two-Bit's? Really Steve? I'd never get any sleep with you two screamin' like old women at each other! Though chillin' with Emily WOULD be fun." I said. Steve laughed and nodded. The door opened suddenly and Pony bolted out and ran over to me and picked me up in a bear hug. I gasped and coughed and he loosened his grip but didn't let go. Soda was standing at the door grinning and Steve walked over to him. Pony let me go after I started to turn blue. Once my color was back, Johnny grabbed me in another bear hug.

"Okay… guys! Can't… ugh… NEED AIR!" I screamed out. Soda chuckled and then Darry pulled me out of Johnny's grasp and turned me around to face him. The second I met his soft and understanding eyes, I broke. Tears streamed down my face and I threw my arms around him. He laughed his throaty laugh and hugged me back.

"See? I told you I KNEW you two was hidin' somethin' from us. And I was also right when I said that you could be really stupid sometimes." He rubbed my back soothingly until Soda literally picked me up and snatched me away from Darry!

"Let me show you your new room guys!" He said with the biggest grin in the world on his beautiful face. He linked arms with Steve and pulled him into the house with me over his shoulder still. Darry, Johnny, and Pony were laughing from behind us. Soda yanked us into his room and then abruptly dropped to his knees and started to push something out from under the bed. On the opposite side, a small twin size bed slid out. It already had blue and white sheets on it and two pillows. Soda popped back up and picked me up, throwing me over his shoulder again. He ran around his bed and dropped me down on my new bed. He plopped down next to me with that grin still on his face. Steve jumped over Soda's bed and landed next to Soda on his other side. I laughed at my favorite people in the whole wide world.

"Soda man, you have no clue how much this means to us. Thanks." Steve said a little awkwardly. He wasn't very good at expression ANY kind of emotion except jackass. Soda turned serious and looked at Steve in the eye.

"No worries man. I wouldn't have LET you stay anywhere else except here." He said with a nod to the bed we sat on. Darry walked in with his thumb jerking towards the door.

"Whose dog is that?" He asked. I jumped up and my hand flew to my mouth.

"Oh glory! That's my dog Dar… I totally forgot bout' her! Can I…?" I started but Darry cut me off with a grin.

"Bring her out back with Bear… they'll get along just fine. What's her name?" I smiled and said,

"Raven. I'll bring her out back right now. Oh yeah! Darry, this is for you alright?" I said quickly. Then I put the money I had in his hand and rushed out of the room. I ran smack into Dally who had a furious expression on his face. Which meant he knew everything. He gave me a glare and looked like he was going to start yelling at me… so I did what anyone would do. I gasped and made my eyes go wide and fearful and I looked at something random behind him. He spun around to see what it was and I ran for the door.

"C'mon Raven!" I called as I jumped off the porch. Dally ran out behind me and I ran with Raven towards the back. I ran past Two-Bit and he screamed,

"Run Crissy! Run like the wind! Hi Dally!" He started laughing then. I quickly undid the fence and Raven ran in with Bear, Darry's rottweiler. Dally caught up to me and grabbed me around the waist. He spun me around to face him and got in my face.

"The hell is wrong with you Crystal! You should have told someone you stupid broad! I don't get what it is with you abused people and keeping it to yourselves! First Johnny and now you and Steve too!" He yelled. Okay, maybe I SHOULD have told someone… but I WASN'T one of his freaking broads! That just pissed me off to an unknown level. I was still a freaking virgin for Christ's sake!

"Listen pall!" I spat back as I gave him a good shove back. He stumbled and looked up at me with wide eyes. He knew damn well that when I'm pissed, you run for cover. "Maybe I SHOULD have said something sooner. Maybe I'm stupid! But I AM NOT one of your freakin' broads Dallas Winston! Those bimbos MAY let you talk to them like that, but I won't! I've been through hell and back today so I'm only gonna say this once! Lay the fuck off you stupid jackass!" I screamed at him. He was staring at me with wide eyes. I didn't mean to scream like that in truth, but I had all the anger I should have felt during the incident with my dad earlier go through me. And Dally pissed me off in the worst way. I walked past him swiftly and went straight for the fence. I could see Steve coming after me followed by Soda so I stopped and faced them with my eyes closed tight.

"Listen, right now I'm this close from beating the livin' shit outta someone so just let me go because I love you both and I don't wanna hurt you." I said stiffly with my thumb and pointer finger a few centimeters from each other in front of me. I spun around and went out the gate and ran. I didn't know where I was going or why.

I just ran.

* * *

**Okay so... Crissy is under some stress and she always hated being called a broad, whore, ect... so when Dally said _it _she went off. In case you got confused. **

**Another thing... Dally knows Crissy ain't afraid of him... so he doesn't act all in control around her. Alos, Crissy is based off of me when I get mad and that is a scary sight. 8D**

**NO FLAMES!!! Please and thank you!**

**REVIEWS ARE SODA'S BODY!!!**

**-Chu-Chi! 8D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: MOTHER FRIGGIN' BEEEEEEPPPPEEERRRRZZZ! I DON'T OWN THE OUTSIDERS!!!!**

**Note: Thanks to all the reveiwed my story... I would mention your name but i'm too damn lazy. 8D The more you review the more I write and publish! :p **

**ONIONS!!!!**

**Chapter 8, I'll Take Care Of You, Just Like Always. **

I didn't know where I was… at all. I was by a road with a small wall on each side of it. The highway maybe? Had I run that far away from home? It was dark out… really dark. I sat on the wall and looked at the forest just beyond the wall.

I really am stupid like Dally and Darry said. I had just taken off without a jacket OR a blade. I was unarmed and cold. Man if a couple of Socs come by… I'm fucking screwed! I sighed and curled up into a ball on the wall and then stuck my thumb out to see if I could get a ride. I started thinking about how I snapped at Dally and what I had said to Soda and Steve. Man I'm really stupid! I should have just let them follow me. I was thinking about that when an old red car pulled over next to me. I sighed and walked over to the car and leaned in the open widow… then I groaned internally. It was Steve's girlfriend Evie. She was nice and all but she was a real whore. And she kinda annoyed me.

"Crystal? What the hell are you doing all the way out here?! Lookin' to get beat up by some damned Socs? Get on in here kid… I'm taking you home." She said in her southern twang. I sighed and pulled open the door and slid into the passenger seat. Evie was a greasy girl to the bone. She had blonde hair that was cut to about her chin and greased so it looked spiky. She was skinny and short and dressed worse then Angela. Her blue eyes were always looking for one thing from my brother… sex. And THAT'S what made me dislike her. My brother deserves more then just a fucking hooker. She was nice to me and all but she got really annoying and disgusting often, which made me like her that much less.

"What the hell are you doin' out here Crystal? Steve's gonna be worried sick bout' you!" She said sternly. I sighed, annoyed.

"I know. Just do me a favor and drive over to the Curtis place… we're stayin' there for a while." I said back. She looked at me and nodded. The car smelt like smoke and sex. It was really gross. I crinkled up my nose and coughed.

"So, ya here bout' Sandy?" She asked. It was no secret that I hated her. Almost everybody except Soda knew I hated her guts.

"Yeah… and I say good riddance to the little slut." I said back with as much venom as I could in my voice. Evie laughed a little.

"Damn girl! What'd Sandy ever do to you to make ya hate her so much?" Evie said on another laughed.

"Jesus, Evie! Soda's my best friend and she broke his heart so many times, it amazes me he can still smile the way he does. I hope she goes straight to hell that stupid bitch." I said back angrily. Evie nodded.

"You know she was sorry for it. Real sorry. She wanted to apologize but…" She started but I cut her off.

"She can shove her apologies up her skinny ass." I growled. Evie chuckled.

"I was gonna say she wanted to apologize but she was fraid' you'd kick her ass real good… apparently she was right." Evie said with another hoeish laugh. I nodded stiffly as we pulled up to the Curtis house. Soda peeked out the window and when he saw me getting out of Evie's car, he bolted threw the door and down to me.

"Thanks for the ri…!" I started but Soda grabbed me in the biggest hug ever.

"Jesus Christ Crissy! You scared us to hell! Where in blue blazes have you been!?" Soda said with relief and annoyance in his voice. He put me down and held my shoulders at arms length. I shrugged with a little nervous laugh.

"I don't know where I was. I just ran for a while and ended up in Evie's car." I said. Soda did a double take on me with wide eyes.

"Okay, no more of that or else I'll put you to sleep with Raven. Got it?" He said sternly. I nodded as Steve ran out.

"CRYSTAL MARIE RANDLE! WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALLTHAT'S HOLY IS WRONG WITH YOU?! BOLTIN' OUTTA HERE LIKE THAT… YA ALMOST GAVE ME A FUCKIN' HEART ATTACK!" He yelled furiously as he towered over me. I shrunk down a little.

"Sorry Steve." I mumbled. He growled something unintelligible and stalked over to Evie's car. He spoke to her for a second before giving her a quick kiss and heading inside. "Geez! That's boy has a pair of lungs on him!" I whispered to Soda and he chuckled.

"Damn right he does." He whispered back. Ponyboy was asleep already and Darry was too. So I slipped into the bathroom quickly and changed out of my clothes and into a pair of dancing shorts that barely came to the top of my thighs and a white tank top that showed quite a bit of skin but was very comfortable. Soda crawled in with Ponyboy and Steve and I laid down on our new bed in our new home.

"Soda?" I whispered. He turned over and looked down at me.

"Yeah?" He asked. I grinned.

"Thanks… for takin' care of me I mean." I said quietly. Sodapop grinned back at me.

"Criss, I'll always take care of you… just like I always have." He said quietly.

"I know you will." I said. He smiled and rolled back over. Then I closed my eyes and said in a voice quieter then air.

"I love you Sodapop Patrick Curtis."

**….**

_"Ugh." I thought as I slowly came out of my sleep. Another noise came from downstairs and I sighed. "Please go to bed Dad! I'm fuckin' tired!" I thought lazily. I rolled over and realized Steve wasn't next to me like he should be. I sat up like a bolt of lightning had hit me. I jumped out of bed and rushed down the stairs._

_"Steve? You alright?" I asked quietly. I rounded the corner to the kitchen and fourteen year old Soda was sitting on my counter wincing as fourteen-year-old Steve dabbed at a nasty cut on Soda's face. "Oh Jesus! What happened?!" I asked as I rushed over to them._

_"We got it Crystal… go back to sleep." Steve growled. I slapped his hands away from Soda's face._

_"You " got it" my ass! You're hurtin' him!" I said. I looked at Soda again and let out a low whistle. "Glory Soda, what happened to you?" I asked as I inspected the damage. The cut on his head was bleeding bad and had pieces of glass in it. Soda sighed._

_"Socs." He mumbled. I nodded in understanding._

_"Pop bottle?" I guessed._

_"Yep." He nodded. I shook my head._

_"Okay. I'm gonna call Darry and tell'em your stayin' here with us. Then I'll fix you up." I said. Soda was going to argue about staying here so I added. "You're not walking home with a cut like that Sodapop. Do what I say or I'll MAKE you do what I say." I said sternly. Then I looked to Steve with a wary expression. "Don't touch the cut… please." I said. Then I walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone and dialed the Curtis' number. It rang once before Darry's gruff voice answered._

_"Curtis residence, who's this?" He said._

_"Hay Darry… its Crissy. Listen, I got Soda over here with a nasty cut from a pop bottle fight with some Socs. I'm gonna fix him up and then he can crash here so he doesn't have to walk home alone and you won't have to pick him up… sound good?" I said politely. Darry sighed in relief._

_"That boy had me worried sick! You sure you don't want me to just come and get'em Crystal?" He asked._

_"I got him Dar, don't worry." I responded._

_"Alright then. G'night Criss." He said and then the line went dead. I walked back into the kitchen and grinned._

_"Well, Darry was worried and now he wants to murder ya Soda." I smiled and he sighed. "Oh and you can stay the night by the way." I added and he smiled a little. I rummaged threw my cabinets for the peroxide and a cloth. I started picking the glass out of Soda's head and he winced each time and I replied with, "Sorry!" for each wince. It was a total of fifteen pieces of glass in the cut. I grinned._

_"Your glass free!" I said._

_"Yay!" He said back. I poured the peroxide on the cloth and started dabbing and the cut to clean it. It was dead silent in the kitchen as I worked. Steve just sat and watched me and I took care of Soda. I wrapped his head with another piece of cloth and started to search for other injuries. He had a cut on his back that was bleeding a little so I dabbed it with peroxide to clean it. Then I noticed a piece of glass stuck in his leg._

_"Okay… this is gonna hurt." I said. He nodded and closed his eyes tightly. I grasped the glass and ripped it out of his leg. He gasped in pain. I taped that up and then stood up with a smile._

_"Congrats! Your officially in one piece… again." I said. He grinned._

_"Thanks Crissy." He said. Steve and I helped him upstairs to our room where we laid him gently on our bed. Soda fell back with a sigh. Steve did the same and I just curled up between them. Steve hugged me from behind and Soda pulled my head onto his chest._

_"G'night Crissykid." Soda and Steve whispered. I smiled and said,_

_"Goodnight losers." Soda and Steve laughed and then we fell asleep._

**….**

I woke up to someone shaking me lightly and calling my name. I didn't want to wake up. I was warm and sleepy and felt so comfortable right where I was. But the person kept shaking me. I moaned quietly and stretched out my muscles.

"Crissy… Crissykid. C'mon baby girl, time to wake up." That beautiful voice said again in my ear.

"Nooo." I mumbled into my pillow. That angelic voice laughed quietly and shook me again.

"Aw. C'mon Criss. Breakfast's ready." He said softly.

"It's too early to be conscious." I grumbled.

"Too bad. Get up lazy ass." A new voice growled. I was already in a bad mood from being woken up and that just pissed me off. And it was Steve sooo.....

"Fuck you Steve Randle. Fuck you straight to hell you cold hearted basterd." I hissed back. Steve laughed loudly.

"Alright enough." There was a muffled thud followed by a groan. "C'mon Crissy time to get up." Soda's voice came back. He pulled me up into a sitting position and I glared. Soda was grinning like crazy at Steve who was holding his shin on the floor. I laughed at him loudly and he growled,

"Shut the fuck up." I just laughed louder. I stood up then and stretched, forgetting my revealing tank top until Soda whistled out of habit. I looked at him and he was staring at my chest like an idiot. I snapped my fingers in front of my chest.

"Hay, hay! Eyes up here buddy." I said. Soda looked up and mumbled "Sorry." as he turned scarlet red. I laughed and dropped to my knees in front of my duffle to hide my OWN blush, he was real cute when he blushed like that. I grabbed a white T-shirt and some light blue jeans along with some underwear and a bra.

I suddenly felt eyes on my ass and as if to prove my feeling right, Soda suddenly said, "OW!" And Steve grumbled, "Keep your eyes off my sister or else." I stood up and brought my things to the bathroom and got dressed quickly. For once, I woke up and didn't still have bags under my eyes. My hair was straight as ever today and seemed to shine a little more. I pulled on my jean jacket and walked out into the kitchen with a new bounce in step.

* * *

**Okay so this chapter is kinda pointless except for Crissy comeing home. The rest of it I just kinda added to make it longer. I thought it DID kinda show how close Soda and Crissy really are.**

**Guess what? Is y'all don't review then I won't post the rest of my ten chapters... ya that's right... I have TEN more already written. Feel powned! Soooo....**

**REVIEWS ARE MONEY!!!! **

**-Chu-Chi!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. Only the girl with the long blonde hair thats crazy for Soda. **

**Hmm nothing to say, that's new. **

**ENJOY MY STORY!!! **

**Chapter 9, Jumped.**

The next two weeks were wonderful. My bruises and cuts were all healed and I felt great! Darry loved having me around because I helped out around the house while he was at work. Soda was basically ecstatic about me staying because I kept Darry and Pony from yelling so much. That and he says it's nice to have someone who gets him around. Pony was happy about the whole fighting thing but not so happy about having Steve around. They avoided each other like the plague. Steve was still a jackass but he wasn't so bitter anymore. He actually smiled sometimes! Two-Bit was… well Two-Bit was Two-Bit. Stealing, laughing, and annoying everyone. Johnny's had the couch in the Curtis house for a while, so he wasn't so banged up anymore but he was still his quiet self. And Dally had been hauled into the station with Tim because of a fight at Buck's. I had gotten a job at Danny's Diner which it right across the street from Pony's school and just up the road from the DX that Steve and Soda worked at. So after I got off work I would walk Pony over to the DX and Steve and Soda would take us home. Or go cause trouble.

It was Saturday and I was eating lunch with Soda alone. Darry was outside with Two-Bit and Steve while Johnny sat on the porch and Ponyboy was at the movies I think. Soda and me had been inseparable. We did everything together now. I liked the way things were going with us. It may not be what I want exactly, but it was enough.

"Hay Crissy?" Soda said suddenly around a mouthful of food. I laughed.

"Soda close your mouth and swallow." I said. He swallowed and then looked at me with a goofy grin.

"Whatcha doin' tomorrow?" He asked with that goofy grin still on his face. I shrugged.

"Don't know. Why?" I asked.

"I wanted to know if ya wanted to come with me to Buck's. Big party tomorrow." Soda said and he put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. Then he added quietly, looking at his feet, "Like a date." To say I was shocked would have been and understatement. I felt so many emotions dance across me. Shock, happiness, amazement, and more shock. Instead of jumping up and down and screaming like a little girl, I put on a smirk.

"A date? Hmmm… I think I can squeeze that in somewhere." I said. He looked up and grinned. He opened his mouth to say something but we stopped as we heard a muffled call.

"Help! Darry! Soda! HELP!" It was Pony… that was certain. Soda and I bolted out of the house and joined Two-Bit and Steve in running towards the call. Pony was on the floor with about four Socs on top of him.

"Hay!" I screamed. They all looked up and then started running towards their car. I jumped over the hood and started to beat on the driver with Soda. Steve and Two-Bit started beating on the Socs on the other side of the car. The Socs started to drive away but Dallas came out of nowhere and threw a giant stick at the car. Soda and I raced over to where Pony was sitting next to Darry. Soda slid next to Pony and I kneeled next to him.

"You okay Pony?" Soda asked as he looked over Pony. I noticed a cut on his neck and got pissed. Quickly.

"Did they pull a blade on you?" I asked. Ponyboy nodded and looked away.

"Yeah." He said in a raspy voice. He was crying. I could see that and so could Soda.

"They ain't gonna hurt you no more." Soda murmured as he helped Pony to his feet. Then Darry started.

"What did you think you were doin'? You don't ever think!" He roared. Ponyboy sighed and I patted his back in understanding.

"I was only walking home from the movies." Pony mumbled.

"That's all it ever is with you! Movies and books! You never focus on anything else!" Darry yelled. Soda laughed.

"Try focusing on girls and cars. It works for me." He said. I rolled my eyes and shoved him back and little.

"If you had to walk home you should have carried a blade." Darry said. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh sure! That woulda made a GREAT excuse for them Socs to cut his neck a little more." I said and crossed my arms over my chest. Darry rounded on me.

"Listen. If I want a sixteen year old girl telling me what to do with my kid brother… I'll ask ya!" He said as he stalked away. Ponyboy let out a sigh and looked up at Soda and me.

"Geez guys. Why does he have to be like that?" Pony asked. Soda smiled.

"Darry just has more responsibilities then he's used to." Soda answered. Ponyboy sighed again as Steve walked over holding his nose.

"Here comes Mister Sunshine." I mumbled and Soda snickered.

"Whatcha think you were doin' walking home alone, Kid?!" Steve snapped. Ponyboy glared at him.

"None of your business." He growled. Steve got even madder.

"Whatcha mean "None of my business!?" It IS my business! Look at my nose!" He yelled. I snorted and said,

"It's huge." Pony had said the same thing at the same time as me so we started laughing.

"Smart-ass. There a couple of smart-ass kids." Steve muttered. Suddenly, Dally piped up from his seat on the bed of Darry's truck.

"How's the Kid?" He asked as he walked over to us.

"I'm fine. Thought you were in the cooler Dal. Put you in for bout' ninety days." Ponyboy answered. Dally lit up a smoke and handed one to me as I went to snag his. I grinned and took it.

"Yeah well I got out early man, good behavior ya know." Dally said and then took a long drag of his cigarette. Steve and Sodapop laughed and started walking towards Darry's truck. Dally looked up at Johnny who was kinda standing off to the side.

"Hay Johnny. How's it going man?" Dally said as he strolled over to Johnny.

"I'd be a lot better if them Socs stayed on their part of town." Johnny said quietly. I looked at Two-Bit and we both snorted together.

"Don't you worry Johnnycake. We're gonna have it out with them Socs soon enough." I said as a matter-of-factly. Two-Bit nodded.

"Damn right we are." He said with a big grin.

"Those the same punks that gotcha Johnny?" Dally asked suddenly. Johnny shook his head.

"No, they were different guys." Johnny said. Dally took a drag of his cigarette then threw it to the floor and grinded it into the dirt.

"Now that I'm out I'm gonna make it my work to get the guys that did that to your face." Dally said sharply. I shook my head sadly at him.

"Jesus Dally. First time I see you and your still your violent, bitchy self! Ain't jail supposed to fix that?" I asked and Dally laughed.

"Not for me Crissykid." He said and ruffled my hair. I snapped at his hand.

"Whatcha think bout' me becoming your personal bodyguard Ponyboy?' Two-Bit said happily. Ponyboy snorted.

"I don't think it's too hot of an idea." He said and Two-Bit shrugged.

"I was thinking how bout' you and Sylvia coming over too Buck's with us." Steve said to Dally as he strolled over to us.

"I wanna come." Ponyboy said. Soda shook his head.

"Oh we're bringin' Evie and Crissy." Soda said.

"Yeah that means no kids allowed. Wait… did you say Evie and Crissy? Crissy as in my LITTLE SISTER Crissy? She ain't comin' with us Soda!" Steve said. Ponyboy and I snorted.

"Big deal!" We said together.

"No, no, no, no, no. I'm gonna go hunt some action… little kids are allowed." Dally said, shaking his head. That was one of the things that I liked about Dally. He never left Ponyboy out of anything. Johnny and Pony walked over to Dally while Soda, Steve and I walked towards the porch.

"I'm goin' Steve." I said. He shook his head.

"Oh no your not. This is BUCK'S Crystal… people get hurt." He said. I shrugged.

"And your point is…?" I asked. He sighed but wasn't gonna give. Soda came to my rescue.

"Aw relax Steve. She's goin' with me. I'll take care of her." Soda said. Steve gave in. Of course he did! I mean, this was Soda's puppy-dog face! He smiled as I hugged him around the waist.

"Alright so six o clock." Soda said. He slapped hands with Steve and then they started play fighting.

"Check this out buddy." Steve called. He jumped on an old car and went to do a front flip off of it but the engine was gone so the hood dented and threw off his balance witch made him fall on his face. Soda let out a loud laugh and I started to giggle. Soda wanted to play cards so he towed me inside while Two-Bit left and Pony and Johnny sat on the porch. We just chilled the rest of the day. That night, I had almost fallen asleep next to an already asleep Steve when I heard Ponyboy and Soda start talking.

"Cold Pony?" Soda asked.

"A little." Ponyboy replied sleepily. Then there was shifting in the bed and Soda moved closer to Ponyboy. Damn I wish that was me.

"Hay listen kiddo… Darry, when he yells at you like that, he don't mean nothin'. It's just that he got hit with a lotta responsibilities when mom and dad died." Soda said tiredly.

"Sure. Soda? How come you dropped outta school?" Ponyboy asked.

"Cause' I'm dumb. The only things I was passin' was auto mechanics and gym." Soda replied with a yawn.

"Your not dumb." Pony objected.

"Yeah I am. Now shut up and lemme tell you something Pony. You gotta promise me your not gonna tell anyone." Soda said firmly.

"Alright." Ponyboy said back.

"I… I think I wanna marry Crissy." He said quietly. I felt my eyes go wide with shock. I'm dreaming! That HAS to be it! I'm fucking dreaming! I thought and closed my eyes tightly.

"What?" Pony asked.

"I don't know man. She's always been there for me. She's sweet, and kind but she knows how to handle herself. Not to mention she's drop dead gorgeous… I just… I don't know. When Sandy left, I realized that she really wasn't the one for me. I think Criss is though." Soda sighed in frustration.

"Is that what the Buck's thing is about? You wanna ask her to be your girl?" Ponyboy asked.

"Yeah." Soda whispered back.

"Soda… Soda are you in love with Crissy?" Ponyboy asked. My heart screamed SAY YES! While my head screamed He's gonna say no!

"I… I think I am." Soda answered. Oh my friggin' god!

"What's it like?" Ponyboy asked softly.

"It's real nice." Soda answered in a whisper. "Don't say nothing to her Ponyboy. I'll tell her when I'm ready." Soda added. Let me tell you right now that I wanted to jump up and down like a little girl at those words. At the same time I wanted to cry because I was still thinking I was dreaming. I mean, I wasn't anything special at all. I looked like any OTHER sixteen-year-old girl. How could Sodapop love someone so ordinary? He was perfect and he loved me? I couldn't wrap my head around it. It was impossible to comprehend. It was impossible to be true. Within and few minutes I heard Soda's soft snores. Steve louder snore was next to me but I didn't hear Ponyboy's. Was he awake?

"Ponyboy? You still up?" I asked quietly. A small laugh came as my response.

"You little sneak. You heard everything didn't you?" Ponyboy whispered back.

"Yeah but I think I'm dreaming. Watch, any minute Elvis is gonna come threw the window with a magical elephant." I said seriously because I really did expect that. Pony laughed.

"Is that what you dream about Crissy?" He asked on another chuckle. He turned serious all of a sudden. "Crystal, you've been in love with Soda since you were thirteen. Why is it so hard to believe he loves you too?" Pony asked quietly.

"Because, why should he love me? I'm the girl no body cares for. The girl on the sidelines with a dark past and secrets nobody should ever have." I said quietly. Ponyboy turned around to face me on the bed and was looking at me with wide eyes.

"You really think of yourself that way? That nobody cares for you? That because of your dad, you deserve to be forgotten? That's not true Criss. Your one of the most important people in this gang. Two-Bit loves you, Johnny ADORES you, Dally won't admit it, but he really does care bout' cha. Steve would die for you and so would Sodapop. Darry loves ya like a little sister. I love you like a big sister. Hell, I put up with Steve for ya Criss! How can you say we don't care for ya?" Pony asked. I sniffled and looked away.

"I don't know. I always felt unworthy of ya'll. You were always so good to me and I kept secrets from ya'll." I said quietly.

"Crystal… your such a blonde sometimes. Go to sleep and if you wake up and feel like this tomorrow I'm gonna have to kill you." He said. I laughed.

"Gee, thanks so much. Real nice to say to someone who you think of as a big sister, Pony. G'night." I laughed.

"Night." Ponyboy answered and yawned. Maybe Soda did love me. Maybe I wasn't worthless. Bullshit. My mind said bitterly.

* * *

**Yeah so... mmmhhh. We now know that Soda DOES like Crissy but won't admit it. Crystal still thinks this is all a dream until the next chapter!!!! I'm excited! 8D**

**REVIEWS ARE SANDWITCHES!!!!**

**-Chu-Chi**


	10. Chapter 10

**Diclaimer: I don't own these fine boys!!! 8D wish I did though.**

**NOTICE! PLEASE READ!!!: Hay y'all! Lemme just start off by saying that I feel so loved with all the reviews i'm getting! Not ONCE have I had a bad review! Do you even KNOW how happy that makes me?! 8D So thank you to all that reviewed,faved,ect,ect! Like I said before, i'm just too damn lazy to metion your names but you know who you are. **

**Second of all, I may not be posting daily like I have been. I'm shocked I had time to post at all TODAY! School is started up again and i'm swamped with homework. Especially in math... I HATE YOU MR. GALLETA!!! YOU BASTERD!!! GIVING ME AN F!!! BITCH!!! Okay I'm done. :) Anyway, i'll try to post as much as I can but no promises okey dokey? Now that I chewed your ear off... **

**ONWARD WITH THE NONE MATH RELATED STORY!!!! 8D **

**Chapter 10, Stuff Like This Always Happens To Me!**

In the morning, Ponyboy rolled out to go hang with Dally and Johnny while Steve and Sodapop went to the old tree house. I was supposed to go but I had other plans. After breakfast, I walked down to Angela's house. Tim opened the door with a pissed off face.

"What do you… oh. Hi Snickers." He said and moved out of my way. I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Glory, who pissed in your cereal Tim?" I asked. He gave me a look and I laughed. "What'd Dallas do this time?" I asked around another peal of laughter.

"He slashed my god damn tires!" Tim growled and I laughed harder.

"That sounds like something he would do." I nodded and laughed again. Tim mumbled something and walked into the kitchen just as Angela walked out of her room in a pink tank top and black underwear.

"Crissy! Whatcha doin' here!?" She said in delight as she ran over to me and hugged me. I smiled.

"Ang, I can't believe I'm saying this but… I need you to dress me." I said. Her eyes got wide and she stared at me.

"Seriously?" She asked and I nodded. She squealed and hugged me again. "Details! I need details!" She said as she dragged me into her room. So I told her about Soda asking me to go with him and what I had heard during the night and she just got more and more excited. I ended up wearing her black skirt witch wasn't that bad actually. It came to my knee on one side and on the other it came to the middle of my thigh. It was really pretty actually. My shirt was gray and long sleeved but tight fitted. The sleeves were threaded so that diamonds of my skin were shown up my arms. In the front, there was a big diamond cut out above my breasts so that I could see some cleavage. Angela made me put on some strappy black heels that were actually not as bad as they looked. She somehow managed to make my hair straight as a bored and flipped my bangs so that they covered my right eye. All I had for make up was black eyeliner, mascara, and red lip-gloss. I had been there all day getting dressed and just talking with Angela. She was really funny to talk to. She reminded me of Two-Bit or Dally with her dirty mind. It was about nine when I left her house. I was in the kitchen looking for my switch that I left somewhere in there when Sodapop and Steve walked in.

"Ready Sis?" Steve called.

"Yea!" I called back. "You got my switch Steve?" I called.

"No! Last time I took it you beat my ass!" He answered. Soda strolled in with my switch in his hand.

"I had it. Please don't kill me." He said sarcastically. I grabbed it and stuffed it in my bra. Soda whistled and looked me up and down. "Nice." He said and I blushed. Steve walked in then and froze when he saw me. His eyes got huge and his mouth dropped.

"Holy shit." He whispered. I couldn't help it… I laughed. He shook his head and looked up at me again. "Alright, c'mon you two." Steve said as he walked out. Soda linked arms with me and started pulling me towards Steve's crappy car.

Buck's parties were the best ever! Especially when you see random girls get into catfights with each other or when they throw themselves all over a guy and that guy blows them off. I had a smile on my face the whole night. Steve was drunk within an hour of us getting there and so was Evie. Soda and I mostly danced and laughed at the fights. I didn't drink and neither did Sodapop, so we had fun watching a very drunk Steve stumble around with an also very drunk Evie practically glued to his ass. We were just leaning against the wall, watching people be idiots when Sodapop suddenly grasped my chin and made me look at him. He was biting his perfect lower lip. His brown eyes were asking me a question that I didn't quite understand. Then, he very softly pressed his lips to mine. It was like a sweet question mark, which I answered with a definite exclamation point. His hands went to my waist and he pulled me closer to him, deepening the kiss. My arms slowly went around his neck and I stood up on my toes to reach him better. His lips were so soft and sweet against mine. He pressed himself against me just like I was doing to him. Behind us, Steve yelled,

"Finally!" And I showed him my middle finger. And, big shocker here, I was the one to pull away from Sodapop. His face followed mine for a second but then he opened his eyes and looked at me with a giant grin slowly spreading across his face. He mouthed the word "wow" before he took off his ring and gave it to me.

"Criss…" He started but I just kissed him again, this time a little more rough, and slipped the ring on my finger. Soda laughed against my lips but kept kissing me. After that, I don't really remember because Soda kissed me so much I got light headed from lack of oxygen. Before I knew it, Soda was walking with me up the porch stairs to his house at 1 A.M. Steve had gone to Evie's for the night… ew. We walked in and Darry's head snapped up from his newspaper. He looked disappointed when he saw it was us.

"Have you guys seen Ponyboy?" He asked desperately. Sodapop shook his head with me.

"No, why? Where is he?" I asked him. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I don't know! He never came home from the movies." Darry sighed. Soda sunk down on to the couch and pulled me on top of his lap. Darry raised his eyebrows at us.

"No way… you two? Bout' damn time." He mumbled while he sat down in the armchair and picked up his newspaper. I leaned back against Soda and his arms went around me. I sighed into his neck as I closed my eyes and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

**….**

I woke up to the front door slamming and Darry's big mouth.

"Where the hell have you been? Do you know what time it is? Well its two o clock in the morning kiddo!" Darry yelled. I groaned and covered my ears.

"Darry shut the fuck up." I growled.

"Hay Pony, were ya been?" Soda asked tiredly.

"I fell asleep in the lot." Ponyboy said as he made his way to the bathroom.

"You what?!" Darry yelled.

"I was talking to Johnny and I fell asleep in the lot! I didn't mean to," Ponyboy said. I stood up and walked over to them with Soda right behind me.

"Oh yeah? And I can't even call the cops cause' you two would be thrown in a boys home so fast it would make your head spin." Darry said. Soda leaned into the bathroom.

"C'mon Pony, let's go to bed now." Soda said tiredly. But Ponyboy was pissed now and I knew it to.

"Look! I said I didn't mean to!" Pony said as he walked past Darry.

"I didn't mean to, I forgot, that's all I ever hear from you!" Darry screamed.

"Aw, c'mon Darry…!" Sodapop went to say but Darry turned around and got in Soda's face.

"You shut up! I'm sick and tired of you stickin' up for him!" Darry screamed at Soda. Ponyboy and I glanced at each other before Pony yelled,

"Don't you yell at him!" Darry slapped Ponyboy then so hard that Pony fell to the floor. He got up and sprinted to the door.

"Ponyboy, I didn't mean to…!" Darry called but Pony was already out the door. I ran after him down the block. Darry and Soda were visible in the doorway of the house as I followed Ponyboy back to the lot. He ran and tripped and fell on top of Johnny who was still sleeping there.

"C'mon Johnny! We're running away!" Ponyboy called behind him as I continued to chase him. Johnny followed close behind. Finally Ponyboy slowed down and Johnny and I caught up. I leaned against the fence and sank down slowly.

"Take it easy Pony. It'll be alright man, just cool it." Johnny said breathlessly as Pony paced in front of us.

"Ya got a cigarette Johnny, I'm scared to death!" Ponyboy said. Johnny rummaged around for a smoke.

"Well don't be man, you're scarin' me!" He said as he handed Pony a smoke. "What happened?" He asked. I stood up slowly with my hand on my head.

"Darry hit'em. I swear when we get back I'm gonna…!" I didn't finish because I almost fell. Everything was spinning.

"I swear we used to get along just fine before mom and dad died. Now he just can't stand me." Ponyboy said. I coughed and almost fell over again. This time, Johnny caught me and held me up.

"I think I like it better when the old man's hittin' me. At least he knows I'm there. Now what in blue blazes happened to you Criss?" Johnny asked. I coughed again.

"Pony… runs… real good. Too… good." I said breathlessly. I really need to lay off the smokes. Johnny nodded.

"C'mon, lets walk to the park and back. Maybe by then I'll be cooled off enough to go home." Ponyboy said and he started to pull Johnny and me with him.

"Ya, alright." I said and walked with him. I was about to freeze to death in this damned outfit and my feet hurt like hell from running in these shoes. "Hold on!" I said. The boys stopped to look at me while I bent down and removed my shoes. "Oh, much better." I sighed. Johnny laughed and Pony smiled.

"Ain't you about to freeze to death?" Johnny asked me as I walked back to them shoeless.

"What do you think?" I asked. Of course I was fucking cold! I had no shoes, a skirt, and no jacket! Not to mention that even though I was in a long sleeved shirt, it was very thin! We climbed up on the dome and sat down. Pony and Johnny were talking but I didn't hear what they said, I was too busy watching the blue Mustang come towards us.

"Uh guys? Looks what's comin'" I said in a shaky voice.

"Bet there're lookin' for us." Johnny said. The car pulled up to the dome and four Socs came out. "Wanna split?" Johnny asked.

"Too late now, here they come." Ponyboy said.

"Stay cool!" I whispered. The Socs stumbled as they came towards us. "There're drunk!" I said.

"Well, well, well. Whata ya know guys. Aren't these the Greasers that tried to pick up our women?" The boy in the front said.

"It's that guy with the rings man." Johnny said quietly. I slipped down and put my hands on my hips.

"Hay, you guys are outta your territory. You'd better watch it." I said. The Socs next to the one with the rings laughed bitterly.

"No girly, you'd better watch it." He said. Everything went quiet as Ponyboy and Johnny slid down and joined me on the ground.  
"You guys know what Greasers are? White trash with long, greasy hair." The one with the rings said. Then he splashed beer in Ponyboy's face. Was I pissed then? Oh hell yeah.

"You know what a Soc is?" I said.

"What?" The ringed guy asked. I grinned a cold grin, the kind of grin that would have put Dally's to shame.

"White trash with Mustangs and Madras." I said, then I spit at the drunk one.

"Get them!" He said and we ran. Two tripped Johnny and kicked him while the one with the rings grabbed Pony and tried to drown him in the fountain! Man, why is Pony always getting drowned in the fountain?! Another Soc came to help the guy that was currently trying, and failing, to punch me. The Soc that ran over to help whacked me over the head with a beer bottle and I was out.

**....**

I opened my eyes and the four Socs were holding Ponyboy's head under water. Johnny was running towards the one with the rings with his switch. Johnny stabbed the boy in the side and he fell to the floor. The other three ran for it when he fell. Ponyboy passed out on the floor and Johnny sunk down and started rocking back and fourth with his switch. Suddenly, I got it, slowly but I still got it. Johnny killed the Soc. We were screwed. Oh shit. I stood up slowly and prodded around on my head, feeling sticky wet stuff there that I knew was blood. Great! More injuries! Oh well, I'll deal with it later. I walked slowly over to Ponyboy and felt for a pulse. When I found it steady and strong I crawled over to Johnny and wrapped my arms around him. I wondered why I wasn't crying. Shouldn't I being crying? Shouldn't I be scared? I wasn't at all. I was only scared for Johnny. Kid had been through so much and now this too? Why is the world so fucked up? It's not fair!

"Johnny, it's alright. I promise it'll be alright." I said. He leaned his head onto my shoulder and cried silently. I did my best to avoid looking at the pale body of that boy, lying in a pool of his own blood. Instead, I focused on the stars. They were bright tonight. God, what did we get ourselves into this time? Ponyboy stirred and I looked up with Johnny who was still shaking.

"I…I…I killed him. I killed that boy. Killed him." Johnny whispered, his voice shaking with fear. Ponyboy looked at the Soc laying on the ground and swallowed hard.

"I think I'm gonna be sick!" Pony gasped out as he got up and ran over to a trashcan. Johnny was starring at his blood-covered switch when he whispered. I slowly took the blade out of his hand and closed it, trying not to touch the blood.

"G-go ahead man. I ain't… I ain't gonna look at cha." Ponyboy fell in front of the trashcan and proceded to loose his dinner. After he was finished, he sat in the cold grass and put his head between his knees. Johnny got up slowly and walked over to him. I just leaned back and closed my eyes, the blade still in my hand. I felt the tears come then. Now I felt the fear. It wasn't fear for myself though, it was for the two boys sitting just a few yards away from me... scared to death. Please, let this be a horrible nightmare. Don't let this be real. Johnny, Pony… they're just kids! Too young! Hell, I'm too young! Please! My head begged. I knew it wasn't a dream though. I knew this was real. I got up and walked over to the boys. I knelt down in the grass and buried the switch so nobody finds it. Then looking up at the boys I wiped my tears away and put on a strong face. Pony looked like hell and so did Johnny and my best bet would say that I did too. I needed to be the strong one for them though, they were gonna need me to be calm down instead of running around like a chicken without a head.

"C'mon. We gotta go find Dally. He'll help us." I said as I helped Pony and Johnny to there feet. My voice sounded wrong. None of the happiness or spunk was there. I sounded like a girl version on Dallas. "Ummm, anybody know where Dally is?" I asked as I realized I had no clue where he may be.

"He's at Buck Merrill's place." Johnny responded. I nodded and threw my arms over their shoulders.

"Listen. We just got ourselves into some deep shit. But we stick together no matter what… got it?" I said, looking from one boy to the other. Both nodded with small, sad smiles.

"If it weren't for you keepin' cool, I don't know what we'd be doin' right now Criss." Johnny said with a grateful smile.

"I do. We'd be screamin' and runnin' around like a couple of lunatics." Ponyboy said seriously which made me laugh a bit. It was a strange, hard bitter laugh that I actually couldn't believe came out of my mouth.

**....**

We walked up the steps of Buck's place and pounded on the door. Buck answered and looked up over.

"Whata you kids want." Buck said with his gruff, stupid sounding voice.

"Dally. We need to see Dally. Now." I spoke calmly yet urgently but Buck didn't get the hint.

"Why? He's sleepin' and he's gonna ring my neck if I wake him up. Why should I get my ass whooped for some kids?" He asked very unwisely. I grabbed the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the wall, fire blazing in my eyes.

"Go get Dallas and tell him Johnny, Crissy, and Pony need to see him right now or else I'm gonna whoop you better then Dally could on his best day pal." I growled, shoving Buck inside. He got the point that time and hurried up to get Dally. I sighed and sank down on the steps. While Johnny and Pony looked through the window. Man, I was tired as hell, I wanted Soda to kiss me and tell me it's gonna be okay, and I wanted Steve to come and protect me from anything bad like he always did. Dally opened the door with a confused expression.

"Whaddya guys want?" Dal asked.

"Johnny killed a Soc. Crissy thought you could help us." Pony said.

"What? Alright, good for you." Dally said tiredly.

"Dallas, if anyone can get us out, it's you. I'm sorry we took you away from this party but we don't know what to do." I said as I rose and walked over to them.

"I was just sleepin'. I got fight with Shepard tonight. Get in here and let's see what we can do about this mess." Dally said as Johnny and I walked in. Dally grabbed Ponyboy's shirt and pulled him in.

"Ponyboy are you wet?" Dally asked.

"I'm ok." He replied. Dally pulled us into his room and rummaged through his drawers for a minute, then looked up.

"Hay stupid take the sweatshirt off. You'll freeze to death." Dally said to Ponyboy. He pulled a heater out of his drawer and loaded it for us then handed it to me. His eyes scanned me before he looked through his drawers some more and tossed some fabric at me. "Put those one. It'll get cold and you'll freeze to death." He said. The jeans were girl's jeans but really long on me.

"Whose are these?" I asked.

"Sylvia's. The shirt is mine though." He said. I slipped on the pants and threw the plain white T-shirt on along with a button up red plaid shirt for over. "Sorry, but I don't have much for a chick to wear." He said but I just smiled. Sure, the pants were long but they fit around my waist just fine. And I didn't mind the shirt; I always stole the guy's shirts when I was too lazy to look for my own. Plus, I liked the red plaid shirt. It reminded me of the one Soda always wore around.

Dally tossed one of Buck's shirts at pony and handed $50 to Johnny.

"Listen. I ain't ichin' to be the one to tell your brothers bout' this." Dally said to Ponyboy and I.

"Then don't tell'em!" We said quickly and in sync. Dally nodded and pulled Johnny down to eye level while sitting next to Pony and me on the bed. Poor Johnny, he was biting his nails nervously. I tapped his hand and he gave me a small smile and quite biting them.

"Catch the 3:15 train to Winderixvillie. It's a freight. There's an abandoned church on top of Jay Mountain. There's a pump in the back so you won't have to worry bout' water. Get a week's supply of food as soon as you get there, and then don't so much as stick your nose out the window. I'll be up there as soon as things chill out here. Okay?" We all nodded. "And I thought New York was the only place I could get in the middle of a murder rap, Jesus Christ." Dally sighed. He walked us to the door and the boys headed out into the night but Dallas stopped me and gave me his sneakers.

"You got your switch?" He asked. I nodded and he grinned. "Watch out for them two knuckleheads. Keep them outta trouble and stick together. Am I clear?" He asked sternly.

"Yea. Don't worry Dal, I've dealt with bigger and meaner and scarier then them two before. It comes in the form of Steve Randle my annoying brother." I said slickly.

"C'mon Criss!" Pony said waving me over. Dallas was still laughing at my joke as he gave me a huge bear hug. He pushed me towards the boys and I sprinted over to them and almost fell because of the giant shoes. Pony caught me and started tugging me towards the train tracks.

* * *

**Okay so I thought it would be kinda cruel to make Crissy go through all of this just afte she FINALLY got her Soda. 3 But OH FRIGGIN' WELL! I'M A NATURALLY CRUEL PERSON! (JK) Anyway, hope you enjoyed my new chapter... i'm getting very confident in this story due to all the wonderful reviews I get. 3 I LOVE YOU ALL SOO MUCH! (sobs heavily into hands and blows nose on Jake's T-shirt.) **

**REVIEWS ARE MY HAPPINESS!!! SO MAKE ME HAPPY PLEASE!!! I'LL POST MORE IF YOU DO!!!**

**-Chu-Chi! 8P**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. I WANT to own something but I don't and never will... DAMNIT!**

**Note: FEEL JEALOUS! I got to skip school today being that I woke up at 1 P.M. with a bad fever. So i'm gonna post this chapter for y'all. I need some reviews guys! I'm loosing my happiness!!! Please review!!!**

**CARROTS!!!**

**Chapter 11, Dreams Of A Runaway.**

Getting on the train was easy. The train ride gave us time to snooze. Getting OFF was the hard part. Me being the stupidest one out of us went first. I closed my eyes and jumped, landing in grass on my head. Ouch. My head already hurt from that hit I got and this just made it worse. Johnny went next and landed on his feet but fell to his knees because he sprained his ankle. Pony went last and was smart enough to tuck and roll and ended up without anything except dirt in his mouth. Go figure. If you think that sounded easy then you're dead wrong. Imagine this, your on a train moving at god knows how fast about to jump off while your hurt from a fight with some big football players. Oh and lets not forget the fact that your dog tired and stressed and scared shitless from the recent events in your life. If you haven't ever done it then don't say it's easy.

We had been walking for a long time before I started to get annoyed. There were some workers down a small hill and we needed directions I stopped Ponyboy and Johnny.

"Well." I said, looking from the boys to the workers.

"Well what?" Ponyboy asked suspiciously. I sighed in frustration.

"Go and ask them for directions. The story won't be in the paper yet." I said looking at Pony with raised eyebrows.

"Why don't you or Johnny go and ask." Ponyboy complained.

"Johnny's ankles probably killin' him and I'm the girl of the group. Y'all are supposed to take care of me." I said sweetly and batted my eyes. Ponyboy sighed and gave in. Suddenly, I felt my eyes sting with tears. Why? Because I was instantly reminded of Sodapop and Steve. I always used to get on there nerves when I got what I wanted because of my puppy dog look. Soda used to tell me that I put his look to shame. "One day my little sister's gonna rule the whole damn world with that there look of hers." Steve used to say. I was so caught up in my thoughts that Ponyboy had already gone and asked for directions and was now trying to get my attention along with Johnny. I shook my head and blinked my eyes a few times while Johnny and Pony sighed in relief.

"Damn Crissy. We thought that shot to the head earlier was finally getting to ya." Johnny said as we started walking towards a dirt road. I didn't know where we were going so the boys explained how the workers had told them to follow this road to a hill, then you can't miss it. So we walked silently down the dirt road. The whole time we walked… I kept my hand tightly grasped around my necklace.

My necklace was the only thing I had left that was my mother's. When she first gave it to me, I was eight and all that hung from the silver chain was a Saint Anthony medallion and a golden cross. I haven't taken that chain off since the day she put it around my next.

_"Now listen close Baby Girl. This necklace my ma' gave me and it's time I gave it to you. I want you to put charms on it as you get older to member' the best moments of your life ya' dig?"_ She had told me. I had grinned like mad a nodded. I had added six charms over the years.

The first was a silver angel that I had gotten the day my mom was killed. It reminded me that she was in heaven with the rest of my family.

Next was a pendent with the entire Holy Family on it. I'm not really religious but it was my grandma's. So it was of importance to me. I found it in my mom's pillowcase one day and immediately put it on the necklace to keep it away from my father who was selling everything we had.

The next charm was a half of a silver heart with a pink jewel in the middle and the word _best_ carved into the side. Soda had given it to me on my thirteenth birthday. He had the other half that was identical except his had a blue diamond and said _friends_. He didn't wear it like I did; he kept it under his TV so nobody takes it from him. I didn't mind though because whenever I felt alone he would grab in and put it together with mine and tell me that he was always there for me and I felt better instantly.

Next was just a plain silver skull that the boys had all gotten me when I took down half of the Socs in a rumble. It reminded me that even though I am a girl, I'm just as tough as any of the boys.

Next was spiked silver ring that Steve had given me for my sixteenth birthday. He said it was called a promise ring. So he made me a promise when he gave it to me. He promised that he'd always take care of me when my dad didn't. He kept that promise to this day.

My last charm was an ordinary silver ring that was black on the top and silver on the bottom. It's the ring Soda gave me last night at Buck's. The ring that made Soda and I a couple. Damn, I just got what I've wanted for years and now this happens! Go fucking figure!

I had been so wrapped up in my memories I didn't realize we had made it to the church until I ran smack into it. Johnny laughed as he and Ponyboy ripped the boards off the windows and climbed inside. I followed which was kind of difficult being that I was still grasping my necklace.

The church was dirty and the inside was basically gray because of all the dirt. Johnny sat on the floor with his back against one of the stone pews. Pony lay on the floor while I curled into a ball on the pew Johnny was leaning on. He looked up at me in interest.

"What's wrong Criss, and what's in your hand?" He asked quietly, tugging on my hand but letting go when he saw it wouldn't move. I shook my head and lay down on the hard bench… falling asleep almost instantly.

**….**

_I was in that damn clearing again. The pretty blue one that I had been in the night I spent the night with Soda and Pony. I wasn't in a white dress though; I was in Dally's giant shirt and Sylvia's jeans. I looked around warily, what was gonna come of this dream? I stumbled around for a second before just sitting in the damp grass._

_"Momma!" Somebody screamed and my head snapped up to see two beautiful little kids running to me. The one to reach me first was a little girl about three. She had honey colored hair that fell in ringlets to her shoulders. She was lean and tall, like a little dancer. She looked up at me and I was startled to find Soda's eyes look back at me. She grinned and hugged me, her tan skin the same color as mine. She wore jeans and a red T-shirt with black sneakers. "Momma." She said again with a sigh as she hugged me tightly. A boy about six ran up to me. His hair was blonde with dark brown roots. His skin was tan like mine too and his eyes were exactly like mine. It looked like the two could be siblings._

_"Momma, where did you go?" He asked as he hugged me too. I know the confused look on my face was priceless._

_"Momma?" I asked quietly._

_"Yea. This is what you left behind." Someone from behind me said. I turned around to come face to face with Soda. The children disappeared into thin air behind me._

_"What? Soda I'm confused!" I said with frustration._

_"Going to Winderixvillie, this is what you left behind. A future. With me and Hunter and Dakota. You left it all." He said looking at me with hard but loving eyes._

_"Hunter? Dakota? What the fuck are you talking about?" I asked. Damn I was confused. And there was something wrong with Soda's voice. It sounded snakey and... creepy. Nothing like the warm, happy, and loving voce I was used to. _

_"Hunter is your son and Dakota is your daughter. They're your children, OUR children." He said softly but still with that creepy hint to his voice. I don't know what kept my eyes from falling out but damn were they huge. My jaw dropped and I glanced at my hand to find a wedding ring there. Good god. _

_"You have to come back. Please Crissykid? I love you baby, you can't leave me alone. Not after what Sandy did." Soda said as he pulled me close to him. Tears went down my cheeks with the guilt that hit me. I knew that I was most likely killing him by leaving after Sandy did the same thing to him._

_"But, Johnnycake and Pony need me! I can't… no. I WON'T leave them by themselves. This isn't even real! It's a fucking dream!" I stated furiously. I shoved away from Soda as realization sank it. This was my mind trying to make the fear control me. No way in hell. Sodapop literally melted away leaving my father. He grabbed the collar of my shirt and pinned me to a tree._

_"You can run Kid, but you can't hide from me. I'll find you and then you'll be wishin' the cops had you." He whispered before throwing me to the ground. This was enough. I was afraid, dead afraid but my fear wasn't gonna hold me forever. I stood up and stalked over to my father, tapping his shoulder he spun around. I punched him square in the face._

_"I ain't scared of you anymore pops. So shove your threat up your ass." I growled. The whole clearing disappeared with those words, leaving the river in Tulsa. I grinned, knowing it was gone for good. I walked over and lay down in the shallow water. Soda was next to me suddenly, my Soda. He was smiling at me with soft, loving eyes that still danced with joy. Steve on my other side a moment later. I sighed happily as the summer sun hit my face. Now THIS was a dream. I could lay here all day with my boys in the cool water with the sun in our eyes, warming our skin. Soda pulled me closer as Steve grabbed my hand. I smiled at them both and they returned the smile. This was my personal heaven. Just laying here with my boys. Soda's warm body next to me. Steve's strong hand around mine. It was heaven right smack in the middle of my personal hell. _

_Soda and Steve sat up suddenly and I sat up with them._

_"What?" I asked but I had no sound to my voice. Steve hugged me and kissed my cheek with a sad smile as he got up and stood in front of me. Soda pulled me to him and hugged me tightly before kissing me passionately. Then he stood next to Steve. I knew what was coming next and I dreaded it._

_"Bye, we'll miss you." They mouthed and disappeared. This was the goodbye we never got to say. I sighed and willed myself to wake up. Because the dream was over._

**Not sure I liked this chapter very much, it was kinda cool I suppose. I think it was like an acomplishment for Crissy to get over her fear of her dad. The necklace I threw in because I just wanted to. :) No flames please and thank you!**

**REVIEWS ARE MONKEYS!!!**

**-Chu-Chi**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Who here DOESN'T own The Outsider? *raises hand slowly.***

**Note: Okay! Sooooo it's been awhile but I FINALLY got another chapter up. YAY ME! *claps hands together* Sooooo....**

**PLEASE ENJOY THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER!!!!**

**Chapter 12, Letters That Could Make You Go Crazy With Guilt.**

I woke up warm and comfortable because some time during the night, the boys had pulled me down with them and I was resting peacefully on Ponyboy's chest. I sat up and scanned the area… Johnny was gone! I shook Ponyboy violently.

"Ponyboy! Wake up! Johnny's gone! PONY!" I yelled and he sat up quickly.

"What?! Where'd he go?!" He asked, panic in his voice as much as mine.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?! Do think I woulda woken you up if I knew?" I said back

"What's that?" He asked pointing to some writing in the dirt right where my hand was.

_Went to get supplies, be back soon_

_Johnny._

I sighed in relief and leaned back. Ponyboy laughed and leaned back next to me.

"Well, I'm bored." I said as I removed the plaid shirt, leaving me in my jeans and white T-shirt. Ponyboy shook his head sadly at me.

"Jesus. You can't sit still for a second can you Criss?" He said with a smirk playing on his lips. I shook my head no and grinned at him.

"Nope." I said, popping on the "p". I stood up and went outside to the pump. Once the water started, I washed my face and hands. Just when I was finishing, I heard footsteps coming my way. I ran back and jumped into the church, knocking Ponyboy over who was just coming out. He gave me a "What the fuck?" look and I shhed him. Johnny walked by suddenly whistling the Greaser whistle. I sighed in relief and climbed out, falling on my face with Ponyboy falling on top on me. Johnny smiled.

"Hiya Johnny, fancy meetin' you here." Ponyboy said with a grin, still on my back.

"Umm Pony? I'm not a fuckin' couch! Get off!" I said and he scrambled off quickly.

"You two are getting' to act more like Two-Bit everyday." Johnny said as he walked in with a big box of stuff.

"Who's actin'?" Ponyboy asked. I laughed and walked over to where they were now digging trough the box.

"A week's supply of bologna, bread…" Johnny started but was cut off by Ponyboy.

"Gone With The Wind? Johnny, how'd you know I always wanted Gone With The Wind?" Pony asked.

"You mentioned it once." Johnny answered simply. I picked something out of the box.

"Peroxide?" I asked. "Whata we need peroxide for?" Johnny looked at us both and we scrambled away.

"Oh no, you ain't thinkin'…" Ponyboy started but Johnny cut him off.

"We're gonna cut our hair Ponyboy and you and Crissy are gonna bleach yours." He said simply.

"Hell no I ain't!" I said sternly. Ponyboy nodded. "You have a better chance of getting pregnant then me cuttin' and or dying my hair, Johnny!" I yelled out.

"You ain't touchin' my hair, no sir." Pony agreed said. Johnny sighed.

"It's hair guys, it'll grow back." He said. I growled under my breath and racked my brain for something I could do to my hair that wasn't so permanent. I walked over to the fireplace thing that had just gone out and played with the ashes in my hand. They left dark stains on my skin and I grinned suddenly.

"Johnny, how bout' I just wash the grease outta mine and put some of the ashes from this fireplace thing in it so it gets darker!" I said and pointed to the fireplace. Johnny shrugged.

" I guess that'll work. If it don't your gonna cut and bleach it, ya dig?" He said and I grinned. Johnny started to cut Ponyboy's hair while I went out back to wash mine out in the pump. The whole time I thought about how Pony was probably pissed that I got my way and he didn't. I laughed lightly to myself.

**….**

I was sitting out back with Ponyboy and his new blonde hair. His hair was as blonde as Dally's now! Mine was done too; Johnny had rubbed the ashes into my hair for a good hour before he sent me outside with Pony to keep him company. He was walking out now with a busted mirror. He looked as good without the grease in his hair as he did with it, I had always thought Johnny was a cutie. He just needed to be a little more open and watch how the girls would swarm to him. Pony had cut Johnny's hair shorter just a few minutes earlier. Johnny put the mirror in front of us and I whistled.

"Damn, I don't look that bad with black hair." I said. My hair was wavy now because I had washed the grease out and the ashes had made it darker then Johnny's! It didn't look that bad with my dark eyes and tan skin. I actually looked like I could be Johnny's sister! Ha ha. Ponyboy grumbled next to me.

"Well, don't this make me look tuff. I look like a blasted pansy!" He said as he ran a hand through his hair. I couldn't help but laugh.

**….**

Everybody went inside after a few minutes. Pony and Johnny were sitting on the floor while I was sprawled out across their laps. I was just watching the sun set from the cracks in the ceiling. Ponyboy always said it was beautiful to see the sunrise and the sunset because it painted the clouds. Now, the clouds were a lilac purple with hints of blues in it. It really was pretty. They're so young to be in this damned mess. I'm too damn young to be in this mess! These are good kids! Why do we always have the shit end of life? What did we do to deserve it? Ponyboy… he's such a dreamer, so smart, he shouldn't be here. Johnny is so innocent! He killed the Soc to save Pony! That should be an action worth a medal… not a record with the damned fuzz! I hate this, I hate life. Maybe THIS is why Dallas is so damn bitter, because life sucks ass!" My mind circled around and around this, trying to make sense of it.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by Ponyboy.

"I'm still tired…" He said, his voice breaking.

"Look, I'm sorry I cut your hair off, Ponyboy." Johnny said sincerely.

"Oh it ain't that. It's just… I don't know… I'm all mixed up." He said, chucking his sandwich across the room. I lifted my head off Johnny's lap and sat upright on his.

"Yeah. Things have been happening' so damn fast." I said to no one in particular. Just staring at the sky. I moved off Pony's lap and curled into a ball in the corner, my knees to my chest and my chin on my knees with my arms wrapped around my head. I heard Pony start to sniffle and cry and I wanted to go and hug him and tell him it was alright… but I was crying myself. Sobs were shaking my shoulders and tears fell down my face silently. The boys didn't need to see me cry… I was supposed to protect them, I promised Dally.

"You no that store I went to this mornin'? I was thinking Two-Bit coulda walked out with half of it. Good ol' Two-Bit huh." Johnny said suddenly.

"Remember how he was wise-crackin' last night? Just last night we was walking Cherry and Marcia home from the movies. Just last night we was laying out in the lot looking up at the stars…" Pony said.

"Stop it man! Would you shut up about last night!?" Johnny yelled suddenly, cutting Ponyboy off.

"Johnny?!" Pony called, startled.

"I killed a kid last night! He couldn't have been more then seventeen, maybe eighteen and I killed him! How'd you like to live with that?! I didn't mean to, he was drownin' you and I didn't know what to do." Johnny cried. I lifted my head up slowly and saw Johnny sitting on a pew with his head in his hands and Ponyboy next to him with an arm around his shoulders. "There sure is a lot of blood inside of people." Johnny mumbled. More tears slid down my face and I put my head back down. It was silent for a few minutes.

"Whata we gonna do?" Ponyboy asked quietly.

"Man, it's all my fault for bringing a thirteen year old kid along. You outta go home Ponyboy, you wouldn't get in any trouble, I mean you didn't go on and kill him. You should take Crystal with you to." Johnny said suddenly.

"God damn it you two! We're all in this just as much as anyone else so stop fucking fighting!" I screamed and ran out of the church. Johnny and Pony followed me and Pony ended up grabbed me around the waist and pulling me down. I was fully prepared to kick their asses but instead I let them carry me inside. I couldn't walk anymore cause' I couldn't see with the tears that were in my eyes and streaming down my cheeks in small, steady rivers. Johnny set me down on a pew and made me look at him while Pony wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"I didn't mean it like that Crissy. Don't cry." Johnny said softly even though both of them were crying just as hard as me. "We're gonna be alright, we're gonna be fine." Johnny mumbled. I sunk down to the dirty floor with the boys and curled up into Johnny's side while Ponyboy laid his head on my stomach. We fell asleep seconds later.

**….**

Ponyboy woke me up in the middle of the night.

"Johnny? Crissy? You awake?" He asked anxiously.

"Yeah?" I asked being that Johnny was dead to the world at the moment.

"There's a monster outside." He whispered. I grinned sleepily.

"Poof… he's gone. Go to sleep now Ponyboy, we'll be fine." I said, before I was even done, Pony was snoring next to me. I laughed at how child-like both him and Johnny looked when they slept. I closed my eyes and curled up with them again, falling asleep instantly.

**….**

One morning we woke up earlier then usual. Well, Pony did but when he woke up so did Johnny and I. Ponyboy was outside, watching the sunrise. How it turned the clouds from the gray of night to a shining gold with hints of pink and purple.

"Golly, that sure was pretty huh?" Johnny said. I smiled slightly.

"Yeah." Pony and I said in sync.

"It's like the mist that pretty you know? All gold and silver." Johnny said, still looking at the clouds.

"Mmmhhh." Pony and I said again.

"I wish it could stay like that all the time." Johnny said. I nodded my head in agreement.

"Nothing gold can stay." Ponyboy said suddenly.

"Huh?" Johnny and I said in sync.

"_Nature's first green is gold,  
Her hardest hue to hold.  
Her early leaf's a flower;  
But only so an hour.  
Then leaf subsides to leaf,  
So Eden sank to grief,  
So dawn goes down to day,  
Nothing gold can stay_." Ponyboy recited. Johnny turned around with me.

"Where'd you learn that?" Johnny asked.

"Robert Frost wrote it. I always remembered it because I never quite knew what he meant by it." Ponyboy said truthfully. I grinned big. This kid remembers everything.

"I never noticed colors and clouds and stuff until you showed me. It's like they were never there before." Johnny said with a small smile.

"Yeah well, I couldn't show Steve or Two-Bit or even Darry about the clouds ans sunsets. Just you two and Sodapop." Ponyboy said thoughtfuly.

"I guess were different." I said with a smile.

"Shoot yeah. Maybe they are." Pony said with a small laugh.

"Maybe your right." I laughed and tossed my blonde… I mean my black hair behind me.

**….**

I was sleeping on one of the pews when I suddenly felt a hand on my head and somebody slap my cheek lightly. I was about to groan and whine for Pony and Johnny to leave me alone when the person spoke.

"Hay blacky, wake up." My eyes flew open to the unknown voice and I punched up reflexively.

"Ow!" The person screamed and stumbled back. I ripped out my switch and got ready to fight while Pony and Johnny shot up, wide awake. Dally stumbled back some more at my knief and raised his hands. "Whoa, whoa relax there Criss. My nose hurts plenty now." He said with a bitter laugh. I slapped his arm and glared at him.

"You scared the shit outta me Dally. I was about to go crazy white chick on your blonde ass." I said with a laugh. Dally grinned evily.

"Speakin' of blondes…" Dally said looking ar Ponyboy with that evil smirk. He groaned and Johnny laughed loudly I grinned at the comment and started dancing around Ponyboy and Dally.

"Nah nah nah-nah nah, You're a blonde and I'm not ha ha ha-ha ha!" I said as I skipped around them. Johnny laughed harder and Dallas went to grab me but I danced out of the way and stood next to Johnny with a grin.

"Bitch." Dally and Pony muttered together. I giggled quietly. Johnny stopped laughing after a minute.

"So Dally, how ya been man? Are the fuzz after us? Did ya hear anything?" Johnny asked as he sat down next to me on the floor.

"And what about Soda? Is he worried? Is he alright?" Pony asked desperately.

"And Steve? How's he handlein' this?" I asked. Dally put his hands up.

"Whoa, whoa, one thing at a time man. You guys hungry? Cause' I'm starvin'." Dally said. I snorted with Johnny and Ponyboy.

"YOUR hungry? Try bologna for a week man." I said sarcastictly. Dally laughed and I glared.

"I got a special delivery for Ponyboy Curtis and Crystal Randle." Dally said as he handed each of us a piece of paper.

"Who is blazes is this from?" I asked.

"The president of the United States of America." Dallas said sarcasticly.

"Yeah right." Pony said.

"I'm serious. It's from your brothers, Sodapop and Steve." He said. My eyes got huge along with Pony's

"How'd they know we were here?" I asked.

"I told them I didn't know where y'all were but they didn't belive me. That was mostly because y'all left you clothes in my room at Buck's and they saw'em." Dallas said and I sighed sadly.

"Damn." I said.

"They really wanted me to give those to ya guys." Dallas said. I opened the letter and began to read…

_Damn Criss. What's with you and getting into trouble? Everyone back here is scared something awful. First, Ponyboy goes and runs away, then the Soc turns up dead, and then we find out you three were involved, and then Dally got hauled in! Your killing me here Crystal! I wish you three would just come home and turn yourselves in, Soda's going crazy over here along with everyone else. Say hi to Ponyboy and Johnny for me._

_Steve Randle._

I sighed and glanced up at Ponyboy. He looked at me and we both sighed again. Man, our brothers were fucking masters at guilt trips! Basterds! I carefully folded the paper and stuck it in my pocket. Johnny looked up at Dally suddenly.

"Hay Dal, what's goin' on with the cops man? You hearin' anything?" Johnny asked.

"How come you got hauled in?" Ponyboy and I asked at the same time. Johnny looked at us with raised eyebrows and I shrugged.

"Those boys down at the station know me by now. While I was in there they kinda beat it outta me that you guys were… get this man, headed for Texas. They think you guys are in Texas man! Texas, man… god!" He said with a giant grin. He stared at Ponyboy and me for a minute.

"Look at these two with their hair man, I can't believe it. Crissy with the black hair and Pony with the blonde… jesus christ." He muttered. I spun around and curtsied.

"Why thank you! I know I look sexy!" I said with a laugh. Johnny rolled his eyes and Dallas nodded.

"Damn straight." He said. I slapped his arm.

"Pervert." I said. Dally laughed and we headed out to go get something to eat… thank god. Bologna was getting old really fast.

* * *

**Okay then! I kinda like this chapter but not very much. More to come soon I SWEAR! *places hand over heart* **

**Review's are... um, something nice. :?**

**-Chu-Chi! 8D**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT in ANYWAY own the sexy boys in this story! :) **

**Note: Sorry it's been a while since I posted. School sucks horribly. :) But i'm posting now so all is forgiven... I hope. :D **

**CABBAGE!!!!!!! o.O**

**Chapter 13, Oh shit! FIRE!**

"DALLAS!!! Slow the fuck down! Your gonna get us all kiiiiilllllllllleeeeeddddddd! AHHHHHH!!" I screamed as Dalllas spead down the road at break neck speed. He was on the wrong side of the road, going WAY to fast, right towards a tractor. I covered my eyes as he swirved around it. He cut off a truck as he pulled into Dairy Queen. I was gripping my seat so tight that I had made holes in it. Johnny's tan skin had a green undertone and he looked like he was about to barf while Ponyboy WAS barfing. I took a shaky breath and glared at Dally. Without warning, I slapped him hard acrss the face.

"You fucking basterd! If you EVER pull that again I'm going to kill you with my bare hands!" I growled while Dally rubbed his face. We ended up getting four BBQ sandwitches and cokes for everyone. We ate in silence for about three seconds before Dally opened his mouth again.

"That Soc you killed… he had a lot of friends. It's been Greaser vs. Soc everywhere you go. We can't even walk alone anymore. Look… I started carrin' a heater man." He said as he pulled out a hand gun. I choked on the french fry in my mouth.

"Dally you kill people with heaters!" I gasped out. Okay, Dallas is an idiot but even he wouldn't kill somebody! Well, not on purpose anyway…

"Don't worry, it ain't loaded." He said. A couple of kids came over then and started asking for money. Johnny, Pony, and I hid our faces while Dally shooed them away. "That was close." He mumbled. "Tim Shepard's gang and our outfit are gonna have it out with the Socs in the vacent lot tommorow night. Hay… I didn't tell you we had a spy." He said, his voice going sneaky all of a sudden.

"A spy? Who?" Pony and Johnny asked in interest. I just shut up and listened, enjoying some real food.

"You member' that good lookin' broad I tried to pick up the night you… uh… wasted that kid? What's her name…Cherry something, the red head." He said. I looked up in interest.

"Cherry Valance?" I asked at the same time that Ponyboy called out, "Cherry Valance!" The only reason I knew her was because she was a cheerleader and I remembered her from when I used to go to school.

"Yea, her." Dally answered.

"Cherry's a Soc Dal." Johnny said.

"Yea well we were all hangin' out down at the lot when she pulls up in her little singray. Lemme tell you that took a lot of nerve. She said that'd she testify that the Socs were drunk and that they were the one's looking for a fight and you guys faught back strictly on self defense. Man, that little broad sure does hate me. I offered to take her over to the Dingo for a coke and she told me to go to hell. Yea… so you think she might like me a little bit? I think she's kinda cute." Dally said. Ponyboy chucked his snadwhitch out the window and I gave him a look. He shook his head at me and I mouthed, "You WILL tell me later, Curtis!" He nodded in defeat. I grinned in triumph.

"We're goin' back. We're gonna turn ourselves in." Johnny said suddenly. I looked at him with wide eyes.

"What?" Dally and I asked in sync.

"I gotta good chance of being let off easy. It was self defense, you just said that. Pony, Crissy and Cherry can testify to that, and we won't say that you helped us, I'll give you back that gun so you won't get in any trouble, Dally." Johnny said. My mouth was hanging open and my eyes were huge.

"Are you sure? Are you really sure this is what you wanna do?" Dallas asked.

"Yeah I'm sure man! It ain't fair for Darry, Soda and Steve to be worrin' bout' Crissy and Pony all the time! And, I guess my folks don't worry about me…" He said but was cut off by Dallas.

"Hay man the boys are worried! Do you know that Two-Bit wanted to go to Texas to hunt for you?!" Dally said angrily.

"Dal, I asked if my parents asked about me." Johnny said.

"No they didn't ask about you! So what! Do you think my old man gives a hang about weather I'm dead in a car wreck or drunk or in jail or something? He doesn't care! But that doesn't bother me none!" He yelled.

"Dallas! God damnit, stop yellin' at the poor kid! He isn't you! Thank god for that! If he were just like you I'd kill you both! Lay off the poor kid!" I said. He turned to face me with dangerous eyes that would make anybody shut up… anybody but me, cause see, I wasn't scared of Dallas. Not even a little bit. Dally would never hurt me and he knew I was right so I just stared hard at him until he turned around with a huff. Stupid blonde. HA! I can actually say that without being a hypocrite because I ain't blonde anymore! HAHA!

"Man you ain't goin' anywhere. I get you a hideout… a hideout… and now look at this! You wanna split. Johnny, you don't know what a few months in jail can do to ya man! You get mean in jail man! I just don't wanna see that happen to you like it did to me, you understand?" He said. We were on the road now, almost to the church when Ponyboy gasped from behind me. I followed his eyes to the church that was in flames! Dally pulled up to it and before I could comprehend what I was doing I jumped out of the car and ran towards the church… Ponyboy was right next to me.

"Ponyboy, Crystal! Get back over here!" Dally screamed. There were two adults… a man and a women standing back from the fire surrounded by a bunch of little kids.

"Jerry! Some of the childern are missing!" The girl said in horror. Faintly, you could hear screams coming from inside the church! That was it for me. I started running towards the church again, Ponyboy falling into step next to me. The man tried to get to us before we passed but he was too fat… hee hee. Johnny ran out of the car after us as Pony and I tried to kick the window in. Johnny picked up a huge rock and chucked it at the window witch broke the boards. I climbed in the window first, even though Johnny tried to pull me back. It was so smokey in there I could barely see my hand in front of my face.

"Is that guy coming?" I called.

"No!" Johnny answered.

"Why not?" Pony asked. "Too scared?" He said. I laughed, surprising myself that I wasn't scared.

"Nah, too fat." Johnny said with a smirk. I guess he wasn't scared either. I ran into the back room where the screams were coming from. Dally had torn open the window when we got there.

"Take these kids Dally! Take'em!" I called as I handed him a boy. We gave the kids to Dallas as quickly as possible.

"The roof! C'mon guys!" Dallas called as he yanked Ponyboy out of the window. A banner from the ceiling fell and went straight for Johnny's back and I suddenly saw something horrible.

Johnny, in a hospital bed, pale and still. Dead obviously. Dallas going insane and robbing a store. The cops catch him and he pulls his unloaded heater on them… they shoot him down quickly. All because of that one beam. I slammed Johnny to the floor and rolled as Dally picked him up and dragged him out. More of the roof fell and blocked the window. I faintly heard Dally scream out my name but I really couldn't care. Going on instinct, I slid underneath a stone pew and closed my eyes tight, wrapping myself into a little ball.

I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die! Why aren't I scared? I thought. I really wasn't scared at all. I actually felt calm. Go figure. Still though, as the roof of the church came down and my world went black, one more though passed through my head.

_Goodbye my Greaser boys. I love you all._

**Oooooh cliffy! I really like this chapter. Next chapter is in Soda's POV (yeah that's right, we get to see things from romeo's POV.) I will post more this weekend and maybe on monday too. **

**REVIEWS ARE CRISSY'S LIFE!!! SAVE HER!**

**-Chu-Chi**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders and If I did... I certainly wouldn't be on here. I'd be in my room with the door closed... ;p Who agrees?**

**Note: Okay so I may not post for a few weeks because I recently got myself a double concussion (yes I am a complete idiot because I got it by flying off my 4 wheeler.) and it hurts to look at the brightness of the computer screen. I'm only posting now because I really want to put this chapter up. :) I promise when I feel better i'll put more up. Don't give up on me!!!! **

**Enjoy Soda's 1st chapter!**

**Chapter 14, Not Again. **

**(Sodapop's Point Of View.)**

Ever felt like no matter what you do, the same thing keeps happening over and over again? Yeah, well, that's how it is for heartbreaks with me. Crissy once told me that it shocked her that after all the hurt I've had that I can still grin the way I do. I just laughed it off but now I think I'm starting to get what she meant. What? You don't believe I've had that much heartbreak in my life? Try this on for size,

1. My parents died in a car wreck leaving me with nothing but my two brothers.

2. Sandy, the girl I thought I was in love with, cheated on me, got pregnant, and left even after I forgave her AND propsed to her.

3. My best friends' dad beats them and even though it isn't my problem, it still hurts me to see them in that position.

And to top it all off,

4. My best friend, my baby brother, and my other friend are missing! Oh yeah, and let's not forget to mention that that best friend also happens to be the girl I'm crazy in love with.

So I've had plenty of heartache. Man, if I feel this screwed up, imagine what Steve must be feeling! Crissy is his baby sister that he swore he would always take care of and now she's gone and he can't do a thing about it. "Stop thinking about it Soda! Your gonna make yourself even MORE depressed." My mind hissed at me. I groaned loudly. If I wasn't at work right now, bored out of my mind, I'd most likely NOT be thinking about this. I'd be to busy trying to seem happy for the rest of the gang. I'm so tired of having to do that. "You're doing it again smarty." I thought bitterly. So I just slumped down on the counter and tried to think of nothing. It worked to the point where I fell into a dreamless sleep. I felt someone shake me violently and woke up quickly.

"What!" I asked harshly as I sat up and came face to face with my boss, Mr. Wallas. He was a short, fat man with a mean look to his face. His hair was red and balding on the top… your typical ugly boss man. Mr. Wallas gave me his famous glare and snorted.

"Stay awake while on duty Mr. Curtis… or else your fired." He spat before he marched, well waddled actually, back into his office and slammed the door. I sighed loudly and smacked my head onto the counter. I got this crap from him every time I do the littlest thing wrong. I heard a little bell ring suddenly and my head snapped up to see a little girl standing there with a big grin. She had long, wavy blonde hair with little highlights of brown and red. Big brown eyes were set over a strong nose and a wide mouth. She had a long body… like a dancer.

She reminded me of Crissy as a little girl.

A boy stood next to her with mouse brown hair that was slightly greased back. He had dark green eyes and full lips. He had the body of a little league star as he put five dollars on the counter.

He reminded me of Ponyboy.

Fuck.

Did I just mentally curse?

Wow. So not like me...

I grinned at the two and handed them the cokes they had bought.

"Here ya go." I said with fake cheerfulness. The little girl grinned and then skipped out the door while the boy smiled and walked calmly after her.

"Thanks." He called over his shoulder and left quietly. The smile quickly left my face and I slumped back down over the counter. I think I fell asleep again because the next thing I knew, I felt something hard whack me over the head and Steve laughing loudly. I grabbed whatever it was that he had thrown at me and chucked it right back at him. It was a Pepsi bottle. He caught it and put it back in the fridge.

"C'mon Soda. Let's jet." He said as he clocked out and started to walk out. I did the same and hurried after him. We walked to my house it silence, like usual. Neither of us wanted to talk about what was on our minds… even if it WAS the same thing. Steve was thinking about Criss and Pony. Even if he didn't like Pony much, I knew he was worried about him... I could tell by how he was biting his lip and staring into space. He's been so worried about her, even if he tries to act tough and uncaring about it.

I shouldn't talk though… I was thinking about them too. Pony was my baby brother… it was as much of my responsibility as Darry's to watch out for him. And I failed. And Crissy was more then just my best friend… I was pretty sure she was my soul mate, as corny as that sounds. I couldn't lose them. Not after Mom and Dad and Sandy.

We were at the house now and we walked in and flopped down on the couch. Two-Bit simply nodded a greeting to us with a small smile and continued to watch Mickey Mouse. I threw off my shoes and tried to relax against the couch… not working so well with all the images floating through my mind. Darry walked in and smiled at us calmly.

"Food?" He asked. Steve and Two-Bit eagerly went to eat while I shook my head no and walked into my room. I flopped down onto my bed and just sat there. I heard Two-Bit and Steve leave a little later and Darry go to bed at like 10 P.M.

I didn't come out once.

Not until I heard the phone ring. I got up and ran to get it so that Darry wouldn't wake up.

"Curtis residence, who's this?" I asked in a bored voice. I sounded like Darry… ha ha.

"Hello, I'm Mary from Tulsa General Medical Center, I have a Ponyboy Curtis here. He's been in a fire at the old church up in Winderixvillie. He's not hurt, but he does need to go home and get some rest. Is Darrel there? His older brother I believe." The lady on the other end said seriously. I almost dropped the phone out of pure shock. "Sir?" The girl said after a minute.

"DARRY! GET UP!" I screamed as loud as I could. Darry bounded in and glared at me.

"What?!" He asked. I just held the phone out to him and he glared some more with a suspicious look in his eyes. He took the phone and started talking with the girl until he hung up and hastily turned to me. "C'mon!" He yelled as he bolted for the door. I ran out after him, no jacket, and no shoes. And the funny thing is, I couldn't have cared less.

**….**

Hospitals. They annoy me. No, they SCARE me. They're always too white and clean and everybody is always in a bad mood. Scared, sad, angry, hurt, and loss float around the air… I can feel it. I walked down the short hall on the second story quickly. Darry was trailing behind me slightly, not able to match my quick pace without jogging. I had to stop suddenly as some paramedics wheeled in a black-haired girl who was screaming bloody murder at the guys.

"GET THE FUCK OFFA ME! LET GO! LET ME FUCKIN' GO!" She screamed as the paramedics tried to wheel her down the hall. She punched one in the face and got up and started running for the elevator but another paramedic caught her.

"NO! GET OFF!" She screamed and tried to wiggle out of his grasp.

"Restrain her! Now!" The paramedic yelled to the other as they carried her off again. Her screams were still heard down the hall. I shook her out of my head and looked around. There were a row of chairs up ahead and in one sat a boy with bleach blonde hair. His face was covered in soot and he was smoking a weed with his head leaned back against the wall. Wait a second… THAT'S PONY! My head was doing front flips of joy as I walked towards him. His head turned to me and realization dawned on his face a second before he bolted forward to me. I hugged my little brother tightly.

"Sodapop." He mumbled into my shirt.

"Pony." I responded. I ran my hand threw his blonde hair and grinned. "Look at your tuff, tuff hair!" I laughed a little with Pony. Darry walked up then, trying to hold in sobs that were shaking him. Ponyboy ran to him and hugged him around the waist.

"Oh Darry I'm so, so sorry!" Pony cried into Darry's shirt.

"I thought we lost you like we did Mom and Dad." Darry said back, his voice breaking on a sob. I hugged both of my brothers tightly for a moment before we broke apart. "Boy, you sure do look funny." Darry said with a half laugh, half sob. Pony smiled again. I sat with Pony as Darry went to sign some papers. I realized something then. Crissy wasn't here.

"Pony… where's Crissy?" I asked. Pony looked up at me with an expression of fear.

"I don't know. I don't where any of them are! They could be dead! Oh no…" Pony said as his head fell into his hands.

"What are you talking about Ponyboy?" I asked quietly. He looked up at me with a pained expression.

"The fire at the church. There were little kids inside and Johnny, Crissy and I went in the burning church to save them. We got them out but the roof started to cave in. I was pulled out first but then I blacked out! I don't know where they are! What if there dead?!" He said in a rush of fear. I saw tears glimmer in his blood shot eyes.

"Aw, Pony, they're not dead. Their Greasers… greasers don't die that easily." I said to comfort him… but inside I wanted to scream and die right there. Crissy could be dead along with Dallas and Johnnycake. That's would be three people I care about… gone. Please no! Please not again! I'll die if I lose them! I'll die if I lose her!

* * *

**M'kay! I don't know if this chapter is very good but whatever. :) So next chapter I have NO IDEA what i'm gonna do with it. Still thinking whether I should kill off Johnny and Dally or have them live... (leaning on live beacause I don't really wanna kill them.) ANYWAY....!**

**REVIEWS ARE CELL PHONES!!! CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT THEM!**

**-Chu-Chi**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: Did I own them before? No. Do I own them now? YES! Tell the truth! I don't own them. :(**

**Note: Hay y'all! My head still hurts like a bitch but If I can go to school, I can post fall my wonderful readers. :D M'kay so just wanted to real quick post this since the Outsiders are on RIGHT NOW and I wanna watch it!!! 8D**

**PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME!!!! **

**Chapter 15, Reunited! **

**(Crystal's Point Of View**)

"GET THE FUCK OFFA ME! LET GO! LET ME FUCKIN' GO!" I screamed loudly as the paramedics tried to wheel me down the hall. I had survived that damned fire… one guy had pulled me out and pushed me into a damn ambulance. I was fighting with them because they will call my dad when they figure out who I am. They always do. That's why I usually sneak out of hospitals before they figure out my identity.

One guy was holding me down by my waist, not touching my arms, so it was very easy to get a good punch right to his jaw. He backed off and I jumped of the bed and ran for the elevator. Somebody else grabbed me from behind and carried me back to the bed.

"NO! GET OFF!" I screamed loudly.

"Restrain her! Now!" The guy that was holding me screamed to the others. I let out another scream and struggled more. Someone put a mask over my face and I screamed again loudly. They couldn't put me to sleep! I need to be able to run! I need to be able to find Pony! And Johnny! And Dally! I bit the hand of one of the guys and the mask fell from my face. Another guy came at me with a needle and I promptly kicked him in his manhood. They picked me up of the rolling bed and put me into another, regular hospital bed. Two men held my wrists down to the bed, another held my head straight, two more held my ankles, and one more held my body down as another guy put a mask over my face.

The gas quickly went over my sense and my attempts to get free became more and more feeble. Within minutes, I was asleep.

**….**

_"You know what Two-Bit? I hate you. I hate you with every bone in my body." I said bitterly as I squirmed under him._

_"I love you too doll face." He replied stupidly._

_"Can you get offa me maybe? Then maybe I'll be able to breath." I said in and irritated voice at the teen on my back._

_"Yeah." He said but made no move to get up._

_"WILL you get off me?" I asked. He grinned down at me._

_"Not until you say it." He said with a laugh. The whole reason I was here was because Dallas had walked into the house, clad in only boxers, and I stared at him for a good five minutes while he got dressed. I may love Soda but that doesn't mean I'm any less of a teenage girl and when a hot guy like Dally walks in half naked, you stare. Two-Bit had caught me and pinned me down from behind and threatened not to get off unless I say I loved Dallas._

_He wishes._

_My audience consisted of Steve, Ponyboy, and Dallas… each of them watching us with a smirk or a full out grin in Dally's case. I groaned underneath Two-Bit. He wasn't exactly light and it was getting seriously hard to breath. So… I used my very last defense._

_Crocodile tears._

_I started to cry under Two-Bit just as Soda walked in. I didn't let my act fall even tough I really wanted to smile up at him. Soda looked at us with a concerned/confused expression._

_"Okay, why is Crissy cryin' under Two-Bit?" He asked. That seemed to sink in to Steve because he snapped up._

_"Two-Bit! Get off! Your hurtin' you fat ass!" He yelled as he yanked Two-Bit off. I stood up slowly and took a deep breath. After I fixed my hair and clothes, I wiped away the false tears and smirked at the two boys._

_"And THAT'S how you do that." I said smugly. Soda laughed loudly with Ponyboy and came and hugged me tightly._

_"She is evil isn't she!" He exclaimed. I blushed furiously as he hugged me tightly to his chest but quickly calmed myself and smirked up at him. I threw my arms around his neck._

_"Oh you KNOW you love me for it." I laughed and pecked him on the cheek. Dally walked over and pulled me away from Soda._

_"Hay, hay, hay. She's MINE. I mean, it WAS my chest that she was staring at that caused all of this. Admit it doll, you want me." Dally said as he pulled me close to him. Usually, that really pissed me off when Dallas pulled me close and spoke to me like that. But today, I decided to play along._

_"Oh Dally! Your sooooo right! I want you sooooo bad!" I moaned. Then, I grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled him towards me as if I was gonna kiss him but I stopped a centimeter away from my face._

_Then I shoved him back roughly._

_He was staring at me with hungry lust in his eyes and I laughed so hard._

_"Oh you wish. This," I said as I swept my hand down the side of my body, "is WAY too expensive for you. You couldn't even pay for the appetizer, never MIND the main course." I said and laughed. Dally's mouth dropped and Soda laughed loudly._

_"BURN!" Ponyboy screamed from the couch._

_"Dude! You got played!" Two-Bit chimed in. Suddenly Soda bolted for the door and I looked at him strangely, He stuck his head back in with a fearful glance._

_"… The hell is wrong with you boy?!" I asked._

_"STEVE!" He screamed and ran away. I turned around to see Steve fuming next to Dallas._

_"Appetizer? Main COURSE?! Oh hell no! Not MY little sister!" He hollered. I screamed and scrambled out the door after Sodapop._

_That was the day I found my calling._

_Messing with the boys' heads._

**….**

Okay… I'm pissed. Every fucking time I wake up, I'm in such horrible pain. Weather it's my head or my stomach, it's always SOME KIND OF PAIN! I am sooo done with it!

Right now, my stomach felt like it was going to kill me slowly and painfully. I KNOW that most of ribs must be broken. Or at least it felt like that anyway. And my throat… ugh. It was so dry, it hurt to breath! My back had a dull, stinging pain that ran up and down and made me shiver.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw nothing but the annoying brightness of the hospital's white walls. I went to sit up but was held in place by foam cuffs around my wrists and my ankles. I yanked again and sighed angrily. They fucking restrained me. Basterds. Too bad I know EXACTLY how to get out of them. I curled my wrist so that the foam was being pulled tight. Then, in one quick motion, I yanked my wrist away and the restraint broke in half. Grinned to myself, I reached and undid my other wrist, then sat up and undid the restraints around my ankles.

Sliding off the bed slowly, I was relieved to find that they hadn't changed me out of my clothes. I was still in that giant white T-shirt with the long jeans and red plaid shirt over to keep me warm. I took a quick glance around the room and noticed a light brown clock on the wall that read 3:26… judging by the fact that it was still dark out, I assumed it was 3:26 A.M. I spun around quickly… too quickly because searing pain sprung up my chest and along my back and I gasped. I slowly approached the bathroom and took a look at my back with a gasp. My whole back was wrapped up and where I could see the skin, it was burnt. Ha, guess that's what I get for passing out under a stone pew in a burning church. Ya, smooth move Crystal.

Breathing deeply, I headed for the window and opened it with nothing but a small squeak. I eased my small frame through the window and onto the second story window, pain surrounded me with every move but I knew that there would be more pain if I stuck around and waited for Daddy Dearest. Hold on… second story? Damnit.

Great. I couldn't be on the first floor right? Basterds.

I used the small cracks between the bricks that made up the hospital to climb down to the first floor roof. Ouch. Every move I made caused pain to spring along my body. Once there, I simply made a jump to the ground. Well, the bushes actually because as I went down, I noticed my father stomping towards the hospital with a look of murderous anger on his face. I shivered as he walked past mumbling about "murdering that stupid little whore and her punk ass brother."

Dick face.

Once he was inside the hospital I ran for the street as fast as I could… which wasn't very fast due to the pain. Once I had gone far enough from the hospital, right near the lot actually, I dropped down to my knees with a cough. My ribs ached and screamed in protest with each passing breathe. My back burned with white-hot heat and my throat felt like sandpaper. My world started spinning as I sat back on my butt. I vaguely heard footsteps come my way and internally groaned. These Socs were gonna have some fun with me because I couldn't even stand at the moment. I looked up and saw Two-Bit running to me. I sighed as he reached me and collapsed. World going black, mind shutting down, pain drifting into oblivion.

**….**

The couch I laid on was so warm and soft. So much better then the hospital bed I laid on in the hospital. I pulled the warm afgan blanket closer to my face and sighed in pleasure and comfort.

Have you ever noticed that when you first wake up, your completely happy? You don't remember anything, only that you're warm and comfortable. That's how I felt in that moment… until someone violently shook me into reality, once again causing pain to spring up everywhere.

"Crissy? Are you up yet?!" Two-Bit's voice broke through my happy post sleep daze. Wait a second… TWO-BIT!!! My eyes snapped open and I threw my arms around his neck… knocking him to the ground. Pain came with me but fuck it. I missed him.

"TWO-BIT! I MISSED YOU SOOO MUCH!" I screamed, still clinging to him. He laughed as he sat up with me. He laughed his throaty laugh and hugged me back.

"Well who doesn't miss me? I mean… I'm awesome." She laughed again. I grinned and nodded.

"Yea, you are." I laughed and pulled back. His eyes wear still grinning like always witch made me feel a lot better. I grinned hugely at him in return.

"Sooo you wanna tell me whatcha did to your hair, hmm?" He asked smugly. I slapped his arm.

"Stop it." I laughed. The front door opened suddenly and in walked Mrs. Matthews and Emily, Two-Bit's little sister. Mrs. Matthews rushed over to me followed by Emily.

Donna, or Mrs. Matthews as I call her, had red hair that fell to her shoulders. She was tiny and slim and had soft, smiling gray eyes like Two-Bit. She always babied the gang whenever we came over.

Emily was fifteen. She had rusty, red brown hair like her brother and the same gray eyes as both of them but she was much more shy. She was a tiny little thing… smaller then me. Emily was real nice. She reminded me of Johnny. Sweet, shy, and a good friend. Angela was who I went to when I needed to let loose and go wild. Emily was who I went to when I needed someone to talk to… someone with a rational head.

"Oh honey! How do you feel? A little better? Just lemme tell you… that brother of yours was a worried mess when Keith came in with you all limp and such! You must be feeling horrid. Lemme go get you some pain killers." Mrs. Matthews fussed over me while Emily sat next to me.

"Golly Criss. You sure did scare us all to hell." She said quietly. I gave both her and Mrs. Matthews a big huge and smiled.

"Really. I'm alright. I've had worse." I assured them. Something clicked in my head then as Mrs. Matthews left to get me painkillers. "Wait… Steve? He was here? Where'd he go? I wanna see him!" I demanded.

"Turn around, Shorty." I heard someone call from behind. I turned to see my big brother smiling, actually smiling, in the door way. I squealed in delight and sprinted over to him, launching myself into his arms and hugging him tightly.

"STEVE! Oh my god, Steve, I'm soo sorry! I couldn't leave Pony and Johnny by themselves though! Th-they needed me! I-I'm so s-sorry Steve!" I blubbered. I didn't notice I was crying until Steve set me down on the couch and sat next to me. Mrs. Matthews walked in and handed me the painkillers without a word and I took them eagerly, nodding my thanks afterwards.

"Relax, Crissy. Breath. It's alright, I understand. Sshh its okay Crissy." He said with his arm draped over my shoulders. I wiped away my tears and smiled at him.

"Thanks." I said with another small hiccup. Steve stood up and pulled me with him.

"C'mon guys. How's about we go let everyone know she's alive." Steve said sarcastically. I started bouncing in my seat.

"Yeah! C'mon let's go, go, GO!" I said as I bounced. Steve and Two-Bit held me down from bouncing with matching grins.

"Chill. You're scarin' me Criss, ya dig?" Two-Bit said with a grin. I stood up and hugged Emily and Mrs. Matthews goodbye before I bounded out the door, without shoes. Only thing I wanted at that moment was Soda's arms around me.

**….**

I grinned bright as ever as we walked down the street that lead straight to the Curtis house. Two-Bit had his arm slung over my shoulder and Steve had his arm around my waist. Both of my arms were over their shoulders and in our current position, it was a little hard to walk. We kept stumbling and laughing the whole way there.

"Sooo Criss-ay… care to explain to us what happened to your blonde hair? Cause' ya know if it was an attempt to get me to lay of ya, it didn't work. I still think your sexy… even without blonde hair." Two-Bit said with a goofy laugh. I glared at him.

"Don't start Bit!" I said in frustration.

"Oh, I'm gonna annoy you to hell with this." He said with a laugh. I quickly slapped him over the back of his head. He looked up at me with an evil expression and I froze in place.

"Ooooohhhh shit. I'm in trouble." I said as I backed away slowly.

"Oh ya, your in trouble." Steve chimed in. I screamed/laughed and ran the other way as fast I could, my bare feet pounding against the hot concrete as I ran. I heard Two-Bit's boots slapping the ground from behind me, getting closer and closer. I kicked up the speed and ran straight to the Curtis place. Once I got there, I used Darry's truck to jump the fence. I fell to the ground, panting heavily. Two-Bit and Steve came through the fence a few second later, panting harder then me. I grinned smugly.

"Maybe y'all should lay off them smokes, eh?" I said and gave a breathless chuckle. Two-Bit nodded and walked over to pull me to my feet. I stood and smiled brightly at the house that had become my home.

I hope it still is my home.

Doubts started flooding through my mind. What if they are mad at me? What if they don't want me? What if they kick me out? What if Soda is mad at me? What if he wants nothing to do with me anymore? What am I going to do if they don't love me anymore? They're all I have in this world anymore! Oh god… what if I loose them?

I took several steps back from the house and shook my head violently. I was freaking myself out for nothing. Right?

Steve, always being able to read my mind, took my hand and squeezed it softly.

"You'll be fine Crissy. I swear." He said seriously. I nodded, fear still in my face, and slowly walked up the steps into the house. Two-Bit entered first, followed by Steve and I.

"Anybody home?!" He called loudly. I slapped his arm.

"Sshh! They might be sleepin' you twit!" I hissed.

"Ya in here! Don't slam the door!" Pony's voice called back. Two-Bit raised his eyebrows at me and I grinned sheepishly.

"Whoopsie." I said with a little giggle. Of course they slammed the door anyway. Steve and Two-Bit both gave each other an evil smile before taking off in opposite direction for the kitchen where Pony must be cooking breakfast. I followed Two-Bit. He ran up to Ponyboy and spun him around in a giant hug; causing the eggs he was frying to go everywhere.

"PONYBOY CURTIS! AHAHAH!" Two-Bit yelled loudly.

"Hay, hay, hay, hay!" Pony yelled as he spun around. I chuckled loudly as Steve came from behind and hugged them both tightly. "Look whatcha did!" Pony complained.

"Look at the blonde headed monkey!" Two-Bit said with a loud laugh that filled the room. I sighed/groaned.

"Alright, alright! Leave the poor kid alone! Gosh, you guys are assholes!" I said with frustration. Two-Bit chuckled loudly and Steve smirked his famous smirk. Ponyboy whirled around to face me with wide eyes.

"Criss!" He yelled and hugged me tightly. I laughed as he picked me up and then dropped me down not so gracefully with a grin on his face.

"Okay, I know I'm irresistibly gorgeous but really, y'all coulda lived a few days without my sexy body couldn't cha?" I asked sweetly. Steve snorted while Two-Bit waggled his eyebrows and started to say some most likely dirty comment but I cut him off quickly. "No! Don't say anything! I don't wanna feel dirty just yet!" I laughed hard. Ponyboy hugged me one more time with a huge smile.

"I thought you was dead in that fire Crissy! We couldn't find you nowhere!" He said. I laughed.

"Well it was my survival secret, you don't gotta know nothing." I said on another laugh.

"Hay tell me guys, what's it like being a hero?" Steve said suddenly. I gave him a confused look while Ponyboy sighed dramatically.

"What?" He asked. Steve handed him the paper with a smirk.

"A hero man, you know like a big shot even." Steve said. I glanced over Pony's shoulder at the paper and was greeted by Dally's, Pony's, Johnny's and my own face in black and white with the title, Delinquent youths turned heroes! Underneath. My mouth dropped open and I looked away.

"Hero my ass." I mumbled as I went to sit on the couch. I heard their mumbles from the kitchen but didn't bother to pick out their exact words. Ponyboy yelled out something like, "They ain't puttin' me in no boys home! No way!" And stomped into the already occupied bathroom. Steve gave a bitter laugh and leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom.

"Say, where's Sodapop and Superdope anyhow?" He asked out loud. Before anyone could answer, Darry popped out of nowhere, grabbed Steve around the waist, and lifted him up into the air, and then dropped him back down as if he weighed nothing at all.

"Super what?" He asked threateningly. Steve backed away a little.

"Nothing." He mumbled. Darry nodded in approval while Steve muttered, "All brawn and no brains." under his breath. I laughed at this and Darry whirled around to face me. I laughed even harder at the shocked/relived/pissed face.

"Crystal? Where the hell did you come from?" Darry asked. I giggled quietly.

"I came from my Mamma, Darry. Where'd YOU come from?" I asked sarcastically. Darry walked over with a smirk and hugged me tightly, picking me up and spinning me around. He dropped me back down onto the couch and I laughed like a little girl.

"Are you okay? We were worried sick about cha, kid." Darry said. As if to prove his point, Ponyboy, Steve and Two-Bit nodded. Then he grinned at me. "And what in blue blazes happened to your hair?!" He asked as he played with a string of it. I slapped his hand away.

"I'm fine and if you start on my hair I'm gonna smack you like I did Two-Bit this mornin'." I threatened. Darry looked at Two-Bit with a half mad half annoyed expression.

"You knew where she was this mornin' and you didn't come and tell us?!" Darry asked in disbelief. Two-Bit put his hands up in surrender.

"Hay man, chill. I found her last night and called y'all but you didn't answer the phone! Savvy?" Two-Bit said in his defense. Darry's eyebrows shot up.

"Where'd you find her?!" He asked.

"I was at the hospital and I climbed out the window and ran to the lot. Then I passed out right before Two-Bit found me. He saved me actually so lay off man, ya dig?" I said. Darry nodded in understanding and smiled at me.

"Hungry little miss screamer?" He asked. I gave him a blank look and he chuckled. "Are you saying you WEREN'T screamin' bloody murder to the paramedics while they was bringin' you in?" Darry asked with an evil smirk. I blushed a bit and laughed nervously.

"Ummm…. Ya that was me." I said sheepishly. Darry and Pony raised their eyebrows in question and I sighed dramatically. "They had big needles and masks! What was I supposed to do?" I asked in annoyance.

"Um maybe do what they tell you…?" Ponyboy spoke the obvious. I whacked him on the back of the head and glared lightly.

"Right, and tell me Ponyboy, when have I EVER done what I was told to do?" I asked. Ponyboy nodded and laughed.

"Never. Good point." Ponyboy said with another loud laugh.

"Exactly." I said with a laugh. The water stopped in the bathroom signalizing that someone was getting out of the shower. Everybody turned towards the bathroom as the door swung open, revealing Soda, my Soda, clad in only a towel. He secured it to his waist before looking up at us.

"Hay Darry, have you seen my… shirt?" Sodapop asked. He paused slightly at the end when he caught sight of me. His beautiful brown eyes grew wide with shock and his mouth was slightly open.

"Criss?"

* * *

**How waaaaaassssss it?! Good? Bad? Horrible? Do you hate me?! Jk jk. Lots of drama going on! **

**Gotta give a quick shout out to someone who reviewed my story and said they wanted Soda to propose to Crissy, well, thank you. You sparked my inspiration and I currently have like seven chapters leading up to that moment! I LOVE YOU!!! **

**REVIEWS ARE ASPIRIN FOR MY HEAD!!! (if i get better, I post more so pack in them reviews)**

**-Chu-Chi**


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own them, only Crissy and the damn stomach flu. Just my friggin' luck! :0

**Note: Oh hai all my lovely readers! That's right! Chu-Chi is back with another flipping EPIC chapter! And it's from Soda's POV. **

**Okay so... I want EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU with a Facebook to ADD ME as ur buddy! I have even more of the chapters posted on notes there. :) *hint, hint* Just simply log on, search Jackie Troublemaker Meadows, and click on the chick in a black hoodie with pimped shutter shades and a green camera. Then send me a friend request with a personal message telling me who the fck you are! *Just in case, ya know, stalkers.* xD**

**So now.... **

**STORY TIME!!!**

**Chapter 6, I Was Smiling.**

**(Sodapop's Point Of View)**

_BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!_

The shrill sound of my alarm clock snapped me out of my deep sleep. It surprised me because usually, I sleep right through the alarm's call. I rolled over and slapped my hand down on the button to shut it up… Pony must be up already, the bed was empty except for me. I groaned and slipped out of bed, clad in only my boxers, and headed for the shower. I could hear Ponyboy talking to someone in the kitchen but I just wanted a shower right now.

The hot water rolled down my body and soothed my skin. Showers were nice, they always calmed me down. The bad thing is that they always are over to fast. I stepped out and wrapped a towel around my lower half as I stepped out of the bathroom. I glanced up and smiled at everyone.

"Hay Darry, have you seen my…" I stopped as my eyes grazed over the girl in my living room. She had wavy, pitch-black hair that matched some of the stains on her face. She was small and tiny and looked all too familiar. Especially those deep brown eyes. "…shirt?" I uttered the last word after a short pause. I knew this girl; I had known her my entire life. It was Crissy. No, it couldn't be! Crissy was blonde, not black haired. But then again look at Pony…

My throat felt rough like sandpaper and my mouth was as dry as the Sahara Desert. I could feel my eyes pop wide with shock and my mouth fall slightly opened. "Criss?" I asked hesitantly, not truly believing my eyes. She was staring at me with a mixture of emotions. Happiness, shock, guilt, fear, and then love. Her angelic face spread into a wide smile and her chocolate eyes melted. She didn't move, she didn't talk. She just stood there, just like I was.

I seemed to break through my daze because I smiled brightly and held my arms open. "Get over here!" I said with a laugh. That seemed to be all that she needed because at the next moment, she sprinted to me and launched herself into my arms. Her arms locked around my neck and her legs went around my waist, her head was buried in the crook of my neck. I held her protectively to me, never wanting to let her go again. Her soft, now black hair brushed my face lightly, tickling my nose. I breathed in the scent that had always been there my whole life. She always smelt like the mornings when you walk outside and you can smell the clean grass while a crisp, fresh wind blows through. Also infused with a hint of hair grease and whatever perfume she used.

I felt the sting of tears in my eyes as I realized that I really couldn't live without her. She was so much more then my best friend. She was my sanity, my everything. I wanted to laugh at how stupid I was to not see it before. She looked up at me and I could see tears were already streaming down her face.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered, putting her feet back on the ground but making no move to step away from me. Her voice made me want to smile like a fool. I smiled and shook my head.

"Why are you sorry?" I asked.

"Because… hmm, you know what? I don't why I'm sorry… I just am." She said with a goofy grin. That was defiantly Crissy. I laughed and kissed her forehead.

"Just do me a favor please." I said, my brown eyes locking with hers.

"Yeah?" She prodded.

"Do not EVER scare me like that again, Criss." I said sternly, then quietly added, "I thought you left me." That was my secret, my fear. I was afraid of being alone. After Sandy left, I've always thought that everyone I love is going to leave me. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth popped open.

"I would never Soda. I ain't Sandy, I'm not stupid. I know what I have and I'll be damned to throw it all away like that dumb whore." She said with finality and an evil smirk.

She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed me softly, then went to pull away. I held her to me and continued the kiss. She seemed happy to cooperate. I don't exactly know HOW long we kissed but it was long enough to get the boys attention because someone cleared their throats behind us. Crissy turned around in my arms and glared at Steve.

"Don't y'all need to breath?" He asked and rolled his eyes.

"If you don't shut it then you AIN'T gonna be breathin' Big Brother." Crissy warned. Steve laughed it off.

"Sure, sure." He said.

"Oh your just jealous you don't have a guy that's hot like Soda. Loser." Crissy said. Steve looked up with and evil smirk.

"You don't know what we did while you were gone Criss, it was more then kissing." Steve said. I felt her mouth drop. "And I'm pregnant with his baby." Steve added. She sighed.

"I knew it was BOUND to happen sometime. Wish y'all woulda told me first though. Guess that means I'm stuck with Two-Bit." She said and started walking towards him. I grabbed her arm and pulled her back to my chest.

"Nope, sorry. You're still mine." I whispered in her ear. She pouted with her brother and both of them yelled out,

"I AIN'T SHARIN'!" The room was silent for a minute before everyone started to die of laughter. Crissy turned around suddenly and crashed her lips to mine. I was MORE then willing to comply with what she wanted but she pulled away WAY too soon for my taste. She turned to Steve with a smug expression and pointed to me.

"You couldn't make him look like that even if you tried. Your just not sexy enough." She said and giggled lightly. Steve pouted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Slut." He muttered. Crissy grinned brightly.

"Don't be such a sore loser Prego." Crissy laughed. Darry walked in and shook his head at Soda.

"Go get dressed or you're gonna be late for work!" He exclaimed. Crissy smiled brightly at me and kissed me once more before she danced over to Two-Bit and plopped down on his lap. I smiled to myself and went to go get dressed.

She was really back. They were really back. I smiled to myself. The family was complete again.

Something occurred to me in that exact moment. I didn't loose Criss, but I could have. I shivered at the thought and walked back out, fully dressed. I walked over to Crissy and placed a quick kiss on her cheeks for no reason really. I was thinking up a plan, a plan that scared me to hell. I wanted to marry her. I just needed the guts to ask.

She grinned at me like she would any other morning Just that this morning was different.

This morning…

I was smiling like a fool.

* * *

**OMG!!! I totally love this chapter! Don't you?! Next it goes back to Crissy's POV and she talks some smack to some Socs cuz' she don**'t **know how to stfu. Lol. **

**Like I said above. Add me on Facebook! I'd love to talk to y'all up on there. :) **

**REVIEWS ARE PET CLOUDS WITH FLUFFY ASSES!!!**

**-Chu-Chi**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: Even after al this time, I STILL DO NOT own them!!!**

**Note/Apology: Oh hai all my lovely readers. *nervous smile* I'm soo sorry I haven't posted in forever... it's just that so much has happened over the past few weeks and my life is hectic right now. Please don't give up on me. To make it up to y'all, i'm posting TWO NEW chapters today, okay? Sorry again.**

**ENJOY!**

**Chapter 17, Socs Are NOT People! They're Assholes! **

**(Crystal's Point Of View.)**

Soda went to get dressed and I stayed inside with everyone else for a second before something occurred to me.

"Hay, anyone know where my baby is?" I asked, looking up at the boys. They shot me questioning looks and I sighed. "Raven. Where is my dog?" I clarified. Two-Bit hopped up and bragged me outside and pointed to the gate.

Bear immediately started barking as I approached the fence and Raven, who was lying motionlessly on the floor, looked up in interest. Her big green eyes seemed sad but as she caught sight of me, she perked up and ran over to me. I knelt down and started to pet her and nuzzle my little girl. She barked and licked at my face happily. Two-Bit came and started petting Bear next to me.

"You alright there Criss?" He asked suddenly, and surprisingly, seriously.

"Yeah. I'm alright I suppose. I'm just afraid bout' what there gonna do to Johnny, ya know? You get the electric chair for murder." I whispered and shuddered violently. Raven whimpered and licked my face again.

"Everything'll work out Little Missy Prissy Crissy. Let's go watch Mickey Mouse now!" Two-Bit said excitedly. I laughed and whacked him on the arm.

"I ain't six anymore… Wittle Bitty Boo Boy." I said back smugly and raced into the house with Two-Bit on my heels. "Sofas base!" I called as I flopped down next to Pony and smirked up at Two-Bit. He sat next to me and started watching Mickey Mouse. Pony got up from beside me and walked over to Darry.

"Darry, did you hear bout' that juvenile court thing?" Pony asked quietly. I strained to hear without giving myself away.

"Yeah, the cops told me last night." Darry said back. Did that mean that they were gonna put Pony and Soda in a boy's home? I prayed not. Soda came out with a giant grin on his face that looked like it would actually hurt. He plopped down next to me and pulled me onto his lap with a swift peck on my cheek.

"Hay, I'll tell y'all what. After we stomp the Socs real good, me and Steve are gonna throw a party and everyone's gonna get ripped!" Soda yelled out happily. Steve howled in agreement and I rolled my eyes at them.

"Yeah and where you gonna get the dough, boy?" Darry and I said in sync.

"Jinx! You owe me a soda!" I called out. Darry pointed to Soda and I laughed out loud. "Point taken." I said with a nod. Darry called Pony in, being that he had slipped out onto the porch.

"Pony, Crissy. Ya know I hate to leave y'all by yourself, maybe I should take the day off." Darry said thoughtfully. I smiled.

"It's alright Dar. We've stayed by ourselves loads of times. And plus, y'all can't afford it." I said and Ponyboy nodded and pointed at me.

"Yeah, what she said."

"Yeah, but, I really oughta stay…"Darry started.

"Don't worry bout' it Darry I'll babysit'em." Two-Bit said. Pony and I both smacked him upside the head and he tackled us down. I started coughing and Pony mumbled something about track.

"Say uncle!" Two-Bit hollered out.

"Two-Bit, lay off. They ain't looking so good." Darry cut in and Soda pulled me to my feet and kissed me again with a grin.

"Your cheeks are gonna get stuck that way." I laughed and poked his cheeks.

"Ponyboy, if you smoke more then a pack today, I'll skin ya. Understand?" Darry said as he pulled on his jacket. Ponyboy nodded.

"Yeah. You carry more then one bundle of roof at a time and me, Crissy and Soda will skin you. Right guys." Pony said. Soda snorted and I backed away.

"Yeeeaaaah nope! I'm out!" I called and ran the other way. I heard everyone laughing as I stuck my head back in, Darry and Pony were gone. "The big bad monsters gone yet?" I asked quietly.

"Nope." Someone whispered in my ear and I screamed and jumped away to find Pony and Darry standing there laughing. Darry walked out the door with a wave followed by Steve who did the same. Soda stopped and kissed me again real quick before he left too. That left Two-Bit, Pony and I.

"C'mon we gotta clean up the house. Some cops and reporters are gonna come by and besides, it's time for the state to come and check this place out anyhow." Pony said suddenly and I groaned.

"Shoot, this house ain't messy. Y'all should see mine." Two-Bit said as he grabbed the whole chocolate cake and a beer and put them on a tray.

"We have and if you had the sense of a billy goat you'd clean your house up instead of bumming around ours." Ponyboy shot back. I couldn't help but smile when he said "ours."

"Shoot kid if I ever did that my Mamma would die of shock." Two-Bit mumbled before he took his tray and sat in front of the TV with it. We cleaned the house till around noon, well, Pony and me did anyways. I took a nice long shower too. My hair was now back to it's original blonde. Yay! I was wearing my jeans and a purple tight fitted T-shirt. I had thrown on my Converse on the way out and snagged one of Soda's old sweatshirts. It was black and giant on me but I liked it. I made sure to pop a few Aspirins before I left so the pain I had wouldn't cripple me.

**….**

"I was driving the other night and the brakes went out on my car. I almost killed Cathy and me. You should meet her brother, now there's a hood. That boy's so greasy he glides when he walks." Two-Bit chuckled as we walked backwards, trying to thumb a ride. I car full of Socs past by and whistled so Two-Bit promptly showed them his middle finger. "He goes to the barber shop for an oil change not a haircut." Two-Bit joked and started to laugh. I giggle quietly and Ponyboy chuckled a bit. Only Two-Bit could make you smile when you wanted to cry, though I didn't really want to cry. I was super happy to be home.

We walked a bit more when an all too familiar blue mustang started trailing us. Flashes of the night Johnny killed that Soc went trough my head.

"Stay close" Two-Bit said.

"What do they want?" Pony asked. I looked at them both.

"I don't know, how many guys were in the car?" Two-bit asked.

"Four or five, let's hurry up inside." Pony said but Two-Bit stopped him.

"Let's see what they want." He said and I seriously wanted to smack him.

"Y'all do me a favor okay?" I said seriously. Both nodded. "If I get on them call the cops cause' you WILL get hurt if you try to intervene." I warned. Two-Bit nodded in understanding and Ponyboy did as well. I really meant it. If they tried anything I would beat them straight to hell for everything they caused. Four Socs got out of the car and I recognized two from the night, one being the one that helped the dead guy drown Pony. I heard a feral growl come from my throat. He sized me up and I got in his face.

"Piss off before I fuck up your face you lousy no good white trash. I hope all of you burn in hell for what you've done.' I spat and spit on his shoe. Two-bit yanked me back and kept his arms securely wrapped around my waist so I wouldn't start something. I know that I sounded like a bitch, but I was so angry. Wouldn't you be?

The Soc looked shocked at my outburst and I scoffed. "Don't look so surprised that I want you dead, Soc. You caused me hell and as if that wasn't enough, you caused my friends hell and that just don't fly." I squirmed some more. "Pray he don't let go cause' you're corpse will be attractin' flies on the side of the road." I growled. Two-Bit pulled me back a little more.

"No jazz before a rumble, you know the rules ape face." Two-Bit said coldly.

"We know and keep your hoe under control." He said back just as coldly.

"What did you just call me? You really wanna go there? I will fuck you up so bad the cops won't be able to identify your body!" I yelled and squirmed and wiggled against Two-Bit but he held on tight.

"I wanna talk to you." The Soc said and jerked his thumb to Pony.

"Go ahead, I'll watch'em." Two-bit said and Pony walked off with the Soc. Two-Bit started cracking jokes about the Socs pants and I just glared hatefully at the car where Pony and that asshole were. Pony started walking back after a few minutes and I sighed in relief. Two-Bit released me and I leaned against the wall.

"So what did Mister Super Soc have to say?" Two-Bit asked.

"He ain't a Soc. He's just a guy that wanted to talk, that's all." Ponyboy said and my eyes about fell out of my head.

"Socs are NOT people Ponyboy! There assholes that put us all in this mess, that guy tried to kill you!" I almost shouted. Then I simply turned around and took off in the direction of the hospital. Two-Bit and Pony followed but kept some distance between us.

I really didn't blame them.

**….**

The nurse wouldn't let us in to see Johnny and I was about a few seconds away from beating her ass. She said Johnny was in critical condition and needed rest. Just as I was bout to throw a punch, the doctor came by and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Nurse, it's alright. You all can go in. He's been asking for you." The doctor said and continued down the hall.

"Alright. The doctor said you can go in, there's the room." The nurse said in a bitchy voice and jerked her head towards the door. I grinned sweetly.

"Thanks so much Nurse Bitch. Oops I mean, Nurse Betty." I said with a grin and walked towards Johnny's room

This couldn't be fun.

* * *

**Okay, listen y'all, I DID NOT actually right this chapter. My best friend Bananas did so any complaints on what happened MUST BE directed to him, not me. It was his birthday so I let him write a chapter for me to post. **

**NO FLAMES!**

**REVIEWS ARE REVIEWS SO GIMMIE SOME PLEASE!**

**-Chu-Chi & Bananas. **


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: Sadly, no. I don't own them. **

**Note: Second Chapter for the day! **

**GIGGLES!**

**Chapter 18, Hospital Visits.**

It was dark in the hospital room. The only light was shining threw the window curtains, giving the room a yellow tint. Johnny was lying on his back in the bed, he looked a little pale but that coulda been the light. Slowly, I approached his bedside and went to lay my hand on his forehead when his eyes snapped open. I squeaked and jumped back. Johnny smiled and laughed lightly.

"Hay Crissy!" He said brightly and a smile plastered itself across his face.

"Damn Johnny! You scared me to hell!" I said breathlessly. He smirked and shook his head slowly.

"No hello? Fine then. Screw you." He muttered. I laughed and smiled sweetly.

"Hiya Johnny. Happy now?" I asked. He smiled and nodded as I sat down in the chair next to his bed.

"HAY JOHNNYCAKE!" Two-Bit boomed in the doorway. Ponyboy following quietly behind.

"Hi Johnny." He mumbled. Johnny's smile grew bigger.

"Hay guys!" He said brightly.

"They treating you okay, man?" Two-Bit asked. Johnny nodded in response.

"Soo, where'd you get burned? You look fine to me." Pony said. Johnny's smile faltered a little.

"Back of my legs mostly from when Dally yanked me out of the window." Johnny replied. I smiled and turned around and pulled up my jeans to show the back of my legs. They were wrapped up because of the burns I had there.

"We match." I said with a grin. "But I got myself more battle scars then you so ha." I said childishly and stuck my tongue out to him. Everyone erupted in laughter at my little outburst.

"Then how come you ain't in here?" He asked with a puzzled expression.

"Because I escaped. I'm totally badass." I said and grinned evilly. Johnny smiled.

"Ain't you hurtin' then? I sure am." He said. I laughed and smiled.

"Not really. I popped like forty aspirins before I took off with these two lug heads. It's more of a dull ache now. I'll be hurting later though." I said. Johnny nodded.

"Hay Crissy?" Johnny asked quietly. I looked at him with a smile. "Thanks for saving me…" He mouthed. I nodded and grinned.

"Ya know, you got your picture in the paper for bein' a hero." Two-Bit said and gave the paper to Johnny. He scanned over it for a second before looking up at us.

"Guess that's tuff enough, huh." He said with a small smile.

"I guess you can look at it later." Two-Bit said as he put the paper on Johnny's bedside table. "You want anything?" He asked. Johnny thought for a moment.

"The book man. Can y'all get me another one?" Johnny asked. Two-Bit looked to Pony and I. Confused.

"I think he wants another copy of Gone With The Wind, so I can read it to him. Would you mind going and getting one?" Pony asked.

"No, there was a gift shop downstairs, we'll go get it." I responded and dragged Two-Bit from the room.

"My god. I hate seeing him in a hospital, even if he's alright." I muttered. Two-Bit nodded with a small grin.

"How do ya think we felt when you was in the hospital every other damn day?" He asked with a smirk. I laughed a little and shrugged as we entered the gift shop. Two-Bit real quick went a found a copy of the book while I looked at the little knick-knacks they had. Two-Bit checked out quickly and we headed back to Johnny's room.

When we got there, there was a nurse inside who was checking over Johnny who seemed to be asleep.

"What's wrong with Johnny?" I asked in fear.

"You just can't see him right now." She responded.

"Pony is he okay?" I asked. Pony shook his head with tears in his eyes.

"I don't know." He said.

"He's alright." The nurse said.

"Look, you make sure he gets this alright?" Two-Bit said and handed the book to the nurse. She nodded and went to tend to Johnny. As we left his room, Johnny's mom started screaming at the nurses.

"I have a right to see him! He's my son! He'd rather see these no good punks then his own mother." She yelled as she came towards us. If looks could kill, me, Pony, and Two-Bit would have dropped dead with the looks she was giving us. "You scum." She spat at us.

"No wonder he hates your guts!" Two-Bit said. He voice was breaking in a way I'd never heard before. He sounded on the edge of tears.

"You don't even care about him, you damn drunk!" I yelled and came to stand next to Two-Bit.

"You go straight to hell! Right to hell!" Two-Bit yelled out as Pony pulled us back. The nurse yanked her out of the room and I continued down the hall with Two-Bit and Pony.

**….**

As we walked into Dally's room, we found him harassing the nurse, which wasn't a big surprise. He laughed loudly and I smirked.

"Causing trouble Dallas?" I asked. He seemed to realize we were there and a smile formed on his face.

"Well look who crawled out alive. Too bad, I was gonna have fun selling your stuff." He muttered.

"Oh thanks, you big jerk." I muttered and threw Two-Bit's jacket at him. He smiled up at Two-Bit and Pony.

"Hay guys! How ya doing? Man I'm glad to see y'all; this place gives me the creeps. I want out." He said as he climbed out of bed, clad in only a pair of underwear.

"Jesus Dally, how's about you cover up, I just got a face full of dick." I said and looked away. Dally scoffed.

"Real nice choice of words. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" He asked.

"I could ask you the same." I replied. He crawled back into bed and I risked a look, and sighed when I saw he was all covered up.

"Tim Shepard dropped by. He saw my picture in the paper and couldn't believe it didn't have wanted dead or alive written underneath it. Then he started rubbing it in about the rumble man. I hate missing it. You got a cigarette Pone?" Dally asked. Pony searched his pockets for a moment and came up empty so I tossed him my pack. He gave a grateful smirk as I threw him my lighter as well.

He's smirk faded soon after and he let out a sigh and looked from me to the door.

"How is he? How's Johnny doin' man?" He asked. I smiled and sat next to him on the bed.

"He's actually doin' real well, Dal. He was talking and smiling but then he passed out before we left. He coulda been a lot worse though." I said. Dally nodded with a heavy sigh. After that I kinda tuned out until Two-Bit claimed we were leaving. I stood up and went to follow them out but Dallas grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"You good?" He asked stiffly. I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

"Whatcha talking about, Dal?" I asked.

"The fire, I thought you got burned to death. You okay?" He clarified. I smiled a little.

"I just burnt my legs a bit an some of my back, but I'm alive." I said with a grin. He smirked.

"Yeah but HOW did you survive?" He asked. I smiled sweetly.

"I hid under the benches." I replied. His mouth fell open and then close, then opened again and closed again. I laughed at his shocked face and patted his cheek. "Bye Dally." I called as I walked out the door. Vaguely, I could hear him yell out,

"YOU SUICIDAL BITCH!"

* * *

**Muahaha! So Dally and Johnny shall live since not ONE person wanted me to kill them... but drama comes soon young ones! Muahahaha!**

**-Chu-Chi**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: For 18 chapters I didn't own them, so for my 19th I STILL don't own them. Damn.**

**Apology: So... i'm a horrible person. Spring Break came and left and NOT ONCE did I post a chapter. BUT I HAVE AND EXCUSE! It was my birthday on April Fools Day... no I am not kidding. I am officially thirteen years old thus meaning I am a teenager at last. 8D YAY! So I am sorry for the late update. I shall NOT promise faster updates until school "cough" HELL "cough" is done. :) **

**Forgiveness would be lovely. :p**

**Chapter 19, Sneaking Out, Rumbles, And Close Calls.**

As we waited for the bus at the bus stop, I noticed that Pony really didn't look so good. He was pale and looked about ready to pass out. I bumped Two-Bit on the shoulder and jerked my head towards Pony with my eyebrows raised. He immediately noticed what I had and turned to Pony.

"Hay, you okay Pony?" He asked, concerned. I walked over and placed my hand on his forehead. It was warm so I placed it on the crook of his next. It was even warmer, proving he had a fever.

"You feel kinda hot, Pony." I said, alarmed. Maybe he was getting sick? Man, that's just what he needs, a cold.

"I'm okay." He assured us. I cocked an eyebrow at his with a disbelieving look.

"Ponyboy…" Two-Bit and I said in sync. He looked up with a pleading expression.

"Guys, please don't tell Darry, alright?" He pleaded. "I'll take a bunch of aspirins when I get home." He said. I shook my head.

"No way! If you're sick or hurt, you ain't fightin'!" I said. Pony gave me a look.

"Oh, so I guess you ain't fightin'? I mean, you do have all them burns and…" Pony began. I sighed and gave in.

"Okay, okay. I got it." I mumbled and sat down next to him. Pony looked up to Two-Bit now.

"Oh alright. Darry'll kill me if he finds out your sick and you go ahead and fight anyway." Two-Bit said. I smiled and Pony grinned.

"Keep your trap shut and he won't find nothing out." Pony said back. I laughed as the buss pulled up. We sat in the back, Pony by the window and me on Two-Bit's lap next to him.

"You know the only thing that keeps Darry from being a Soc is us?" Two-Bit said suddenly. I nodded.

"Ya." I responded. My mind drifted during the bus ride. Not surpriseingly, I started to think about Soda.

You know that feeling when you did something good for someone but something horrible for someone who is more important than the other person even if you love both? No, of course you don't cause I don't even know what the fuck I'm thinking… but that is how I feel.

I love Soda. I'm in love with Soda. Crystal Marie Randle is in love with Sodapop Patrick Curtis! There's nothing that can change that. And I know I've hurt him. I could tell by when he said he thought I left him. After Sandy, I should have known he would be heartbroken by the little stunt. But it was for the better right..? I'm so mixed up and I'm afraid I'm gonna lose Soda. Maybe, maybe it's time to tell him that I love him? Holy shit. I could just imagine me trying to say that and ending up saying "Love Sodapop you I!" instead of "I love you, Sodapop." That would be just peachy. But maybe Emily could help me out…

"Crissy! Time to get off!" Two-Bit said. I shook my head to clear it and stood up.

"Then let's go." I said and walked of the bus. Pony caught up with me as we started the walk home.

"So what were you thinking so hard about on the bus?" He asked. I smiled and shook my head at him.

"Nothing important. What were YOU thinking about Pone?" I asked. He frowned and looked up at the sky.

"Tonight, the rumble, I don't like it one bit. Somethin' awful's gonna happen." Pony said. I nodded in agreement.

"I know exactly what you're feeling." I said.

"Ponyboy! Hay Two-Bit!" A female voice called from behind us. We spun around and Cherry Valance came walking our way. "Who's your friend?" She asked with a sweet smile. I smirked and put my hand out to her.

"Crystal Randle, you can call my Crissy." I responded as she shook my hand lightly.

"Sherri Valence, but you can call me Cherry cause of my hair." She said with a smile. I nodded lightly to her and stepped back.

"What's up with the big time's?" Two-Bit asked. She pushed the hair from her face and answered slowly.

"No weapons. They play your way… it's a fair deal." She said.

"You sure about that?" I asked.

She nodded. "Randy told me, he knows for sure." She answered. I clenched my fists tight at that name. Two-Bit put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a look that said, "Don't even try it."

"Good deal." I said through my teeth with a false smile. I had nothing against Cherry. She seemed nice and all… just that ape face that put Johnny, Pony, Dally, and me in this whole damn mess!

I started to walk away and Two-Bit stayed close with Pony following.

"Ponyboy wait a minute! I wanna talk to you." She said. Ponyboy went back after looking over his shoulder to see if it was okay with us. I smiled and Two-Bit raised his eyebrows suggestively causing me to slap his chest and call him a pervert.

Ponyboy started to walk away but Cherry called him back. After a few more words were said. Ponyboy walked away with a half mad, half dreamy look in his eyes. I shrugged with Two-Bit as we walked home.

**….**

I walked into the house and smiled at everyone when they looked up. Soda got up immediately and kissed me quickly and hugged me tightly.

"Hi." He said with that goofy grin I loved so much. Steve snuck behind him with a rolled up newspaper and I smirked.

"Duck." I answered. He looked confused, until the newspaper came down on his head. I laughed loudly as he chased Steve out of the house.

I sat on the arm of Darry's armchair and watched Mickey Mouse for a while, until Soda came out of nowhere and pulled my into the hallway. He put him arms on either side of my head so I had no escape.

"What the crap are you trying to do to me? Rape?" I asked with a smirk. He grinned back and leaned to my ear.

"Is that what you want?" He asked. I stopped breathing as his hot breath tickled my ear. _....What the hell is he smoking?!_

"Soda, the hallway isn't the best place for this. If Steve or Darry comes by, we are screwed!" I whispered and giggled.

"There's the bedroom and the bathroom…" He whispered. _DEFINATELY ON SOMETHING!_

"Quit being all sexy, Soda! It ain't fair! I gotta be ready for a fight not to screw you tonight!" I said. He coughed and looked at me with a shocked expression while I laughed.

"Gotcha." I said and kissed his nose before I ran off into the kitchen.

**….**

A while later, Steve and Soda were playing cards while Two-Bit drank beer and Darry got dressed. Pony was asking about shaving when I went and sat next to Soda. I noticed a card hidden in the collar of his shirt and Steve had a card hidden under his leg.

"You two suck ass at cheating. I could see your cards from the couch." I said with a disapproving shake of my head. Both boys looked at me with a wild expression, then at each other with false anger.

"You cheater!" They both yelled. Soda challenged him to and arm wrestling match and I laughed as Steve began to lose.

"Soda, why do you like fight?" Pony asked, coming out of the bathroom. Soda looked up briefly from the match to grin at Pony.

"It's like a challenge. Like a dance or a drag race or something." He answered. Steve started to win as he answered as well.

"I like to fight so that I can pound some Soc's heads in!" He yelled as he beat Soda. I chuckled and Pony asked me the same. I grinned brightly at him before answering.

"Well, I like fights because I like to know that I ain't some small little girl that can't defend herself at all. Makes me feel in control." I answered with a nod. Ponyboy snorted at me.

"You ALWAYS in control around here, Crissy." He answered. Then he walked over to Darry and asked him. Soda quickly cut in before he could answer.

"Darry likes to show off his muscles." Soda laughed and Darry glared at him.

"You get any mouthier and I'm gonna be showing them off on you little buddy." Darry said back. He looked at Pony and I then. "Listen, I don't think you two should be fightin' tonight. Both of y'all aren't in your best shape and could end up getting banged up pretty badly." Darry said seriously. My eyes went wide and I shook my head quickly.

"No! C'mon Darry, let us fight! It's skin to skin! If it was knives or chains it would be different!" I exclaimed. Darry shook his head.

"No. Y'all are gonna stay here." He answered.

"But…!" We started but were cut off.

"That's final." He said. He turned around to the others. "Let's go!" He called out and everyone ran out of the house, Soda stopping only to give me a peck on the cheek.

I was seething with anger. How dare he?! I can fight just as good as any of them!

"C'mon." I said and started out of the door. Pony's eyes widened.

"But Darry said…!"

"Screw Darry! I'm fightin' tonight whether he likes it or not. Are you comin'?" I asked as I walked out of the house. Pony grinned and followed me out.

Seeing as the boys took the long way, Pony and I cut straight through the woods and ended up in the lot where Tim's gang and the Brumley Boys were already waiting.

"Oi Tim!" I called as we made our presence known. He looked up with a smirk.

"Where's the rest of y'all?" He asked as we approached. I hopped up on one of the old cars and slapped hands with Jack Brumley.

"We weren't supposed to be here tonight so we snuck out and cut through the woods. Got a smoke? I left mine at the house." I said. He lit a smoke and handed it to me and I took a drag as Pony and Tim talked about Curly getting his ass thrown into Juvi for six months.

The gang walked into view just then and Two-Bit was the first to catch hold of me. He laughed out loud and pointed us out. Darry looked like he was gonna bust a vein in his head, Two-Bit was getting a kick out of us, Steve looked like he wanted to ring my neck, and Soda was laughing silently next to them all.

Darry stomped over to us with a pissed expression. "Didn't I tell you two to stay home?! He yelled.

"Dar, you shoulda known I would end up here SOMEHOW. I always do." I said softly. "Pony was just a tag along." I added. He sighed in annoyance as Soda came over to sit next to me.

"You sneaky little devil." He chuckled while I smiled.

"Hay, you knew I would end up here too so don't give me that false shock." I said.

Soc cars started coming then, about five of them. Socs piled out and lined up in front of us as we did the same across from then. I stood next to Steve and Soda of course. Darry stepped forward as a Soc about his size stepped forward as well.

"Hello Paul." Darry greeted in a stone cold voice. I remembered Paul as one of the football players Darry used to hang with.

"I'll take you." Paul said right back. Everyone froze, waiting to see who would throw the first punch and start the rumble.

"HAY! Y'ALL KNOW IT AIN'T RUMBLE WITHOUT ME!" A voice called through the night. I turned around to see Dally running towards us. When I turned back around, I was greeted with a punch in the face.

The rumble was on.

I fell to the mud as the same guy tried to get a cheap kick in but I blocked in and pulled him down, rolled on top of him, and started to slug him in the face.

A guy pulled me off of him and kicked me in the stomach so I lost my air supply. But I was quick to recover as I threw a kick straight to his face, causing him to stumble and fall.

Then someone threw me over their shoulder and onto the car, my head slamming into the metal. I threw my fist up and in collided with his nose.

Then I noticed Pony, on the ground, being beaten to hell by about four Socs. I ran over and slammed one to the ground while the others stayed focused on Pony.

I ended up next to him on the ground while Socs pummeled me. But they started to run back to their cars and I knew the rumble was over.

Dallas was behind us suddenly, hauling us up.

"C'mon! We gotta go see Johnny!" He yelled over all of the loud screams. Half dragging Pony and I, he made his way to Buck's car and through us in, then peeled out like a bat out of hell.

**….**

Half way to the hospital, a cop car stopped and pulled us over. I couldn't say I was surprised, Dallas was driving like a maniac.

"Oh there has got to be a reason for going this fast. Where's the fire buddy?" The cop said coming over to us.

"Look sick!" Dallas whispered quickly, then he turned his attention to the cop. "The kid and his sister fell off their motorcycles and I was taking them to the hospital." Dally said. The cop checked us out and a worried expression came to his face.

"Are they okay?" He asked. Dallas shrugged.

"I don't know, man! Do I look like a doctor?" Dally asked. The cop looked at us for a moment, then nodded and left. Dally smirked, "Sucker!" He said and took off again for the hospital.

The whole time, I hadn't felt any pain. But right then, I felt horrible pain in my head and my face and practically everywhere. between the burns and the beatings I got from the rumble, I felt like utter crap.

Pony looked even worse then I felt though.

**….**

We walked through the hallways towards Johnny's room. In his hallway, nurses where running around, screaming things out and carrying random things into Johnny's room.

My heart turned to stone.

We ran to Johnny's room to see doctors doing compressions on Johnny's non-moving chest. He was dying.

"JOHNNY!" I screamed out and started to push through the nurses into and into the room but they held me back, screaming I couldn't come in. Tears started to fall down my face and all I could think was, _"Please not Johnny! He doesn't deserve this!"_

I could hear Pony sobbing behind me and a thud as Dally punched a wall.

My eyes were glued to Johnny's lifeless body as I struggled against the nurses. One doctor looked up at me and I took the opportunity to scream out, "Save him! Don't you dare let him die!" The doctor went back to Johnny and I held my breath as the heart monitor started to beep again and Johnny took a breath and another breath and another.

The nurses froze and Pony and I pushed trough into the room next to Johnny.

"Johnny?" Pony rasped out.

"Johnnycake, wakey-wakey eggs and chocolate cakey, man." I whispered quiely, his eyes opened a little and I took a deep breath in relief.

"We beat'em Johnny, we beat them Socs good." Pony said. Johnny's eyes opened a little more and he smiled a little.

"Johnny if you die I swear I'll hunt your ghost butt down and scare you back into your skin so I can kick your ass." I threatened. He looked up at me with another smile.

"Got it." He rasped. I grinned and Pony laughed. That's when I noticed Dally was gone.

"We'll be back, man. Promise." I said and pulled Pony out of the room. "Where's Dal?" I asked.

"He left right before Johnny woke up. I think he couldn't take it." Pony said.

_Oh.... shit._

"Pony, go home, tell everyone that I'll be home soon okay?" I said but didn't wait for an answer as I bolted out of the hospital. Knowing Dallas and how important Johnny was to him, I had a feeling he was going to do something stupid.

And something told me I had to stop it.

Of course. Leave it to the BLONDE girl to save the day. Fuck.

* * *

**Oh, hai. M'kay so, another chapter bites the dust and nw I must learn to write faster and eat chocolate cake at the same time or else I shall have a problem. :( **

**So Crissy must save Dally... OH NOS! RUN BLONDIE RUN!**

**REVIEWS MAKE ME WRITE FASTER.**

**-Chu-Chi**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: Me no own the Outsiders. **

**Note: M'kay so i've been writing all day and I got about seven chapters that I need to type up. (I write them in a journal and THEN type them on the computer) So this is all for today, sorry it's so short. **

**P.S. CHAPTER 20! WHOO HOO!**

**Enjoy!**

_**Chapter 20, Saving Dallas And Loving **__**Sodapop.**_

I ran down the streets, searching for a fight, or someone hidden in the shadows destroying a Soc car, or SOMETHING but I found nothing. Nothing that showed where Dally had gone. I was praying he wouldn't do something stupid, but knowing him, he would.

I passed and old store when I saw his white blond hair. I skidded to a halt and ran towards the doors just as Dally ripped a magazine in half and padded over to the cashier. He said something, and as I bolted inside, his hand went for the gun tucked away in his back pocket.

I snapped forward and grabbed his hand before he pulled out the gun an laid two quarters on the counter.

"So sorry about the magazines, Sir. That should cover it." I called over my shoulder as I grabbed Dally and pulled him out of the store, leaving the stunned cashier behind.

I shoved Dallas into an ally and ripped the gun out of his hand and tossed it away, then I turned my most heated glare on him.

"ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID OR ARE YOU JUST BORN THIS WAY, DALLAS?! YOU WERE GONNA HOLD UP A FUCKING STORE WITH AN UNLOADED GUN YOU ASS! AND ALL BECAUSE YOU THOUGHT YOU LOST JOHNNY! GUESS WHAT MORON, JOHNNY ISN'T DEAD! HE'S PERFECTLY FINE AND YOU WOULDA BEEN DEAD HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR ME!" I screamed at him. Tears were streaming down my face by now but they were giving me power.

Dally's eyes were trying desperately to hide emotion as always but failed. "Criss I…" He began but I put my hand up to him to stop.

"Dallas…" I said softer now, "Do you realize that if would have lost Johnny AND you, that would have killed us?"

"I didn't…"

"Do you realize that we love you, Dal? Not just Johnny, all of us. You're our brother, family. You think your alone Dally, I can see it in your eyes. It's the same look I carried in my own eyes before I got away from my dad. But guess what? You're not." I whispered. Then I stood up on my tip toes and kissed his cheek softly before walking home and leaving him there stunned.

**….**

I opened the door quietly. It was about three A.M. now. I had taken a long time to get home because my mind kept spinning around everything.

Soda was the only one awake, he was in Darry's chair, half asleep when I walked in. He woke up instantly and ran over to me, grabbing me and spinning me around quickly. I gasped out in the pain that shot through my ribs and he dropped me instantly.

"Sorry." He whispered quietly and kissed me softly. I smiled and stroked the bruise on his cheek lightly.

"Nice. You look tuff." I said with a smirk. He smiled and pulled me down on his lap on the couch.

"Ya know, I'm thinking I'm gonna have to put a lease on you. You keep disappearing and scaring me to hell." He whispered into my hair. I laughed loudly.

"You sound like my brother!" I said with a grin.

"Speaking of brothers, yours is pissed that you were gone again." He said. I flinched but shrugged.

"Whoops." I laughed. Soda picked me up and carried my into our room and dropped me on his bed. I noticed quickly that Pony wasn't here.

"He's at the hospital." Soda said as he crawled in next to me and pulled me on top on him. His incredible brown eyes smiled lovingly up at me and I leaned down slowly and kissed him. Electric sparks shot through me and tickled my lips while his hands lightly traced my sides. His tongue licked my bottom lip, asking for entrance witch I granted and our tongues were suddenly battling for dominance. The kissed had turned from soft to steamy in seconds.

Soda broke our kiss and moved his head to my neck. He kissed down my jaw and neck until he reached the tender skin that joins my shoulder and neck together. He sucked softly and I couldn't control the moan that left my mouth.

I pulled his head up and crashed my lips into his. He growled into my mouth which made me want to continue but I knew I needed to stop before I went too far. Just goes to show that I can't stop thinking, even when I'm in heaven.

I broke the kiss and simply smiled down at him before rolling over and snuggling into his side. His arms wrapped around me and I felt safe. I knew no matter what, as long as I had Soda and the boys, I'd be fine. And with that thought, I fell into a much needed sleep.

* * *

**Like I said befroe, sorry it's so short. **

**Reveiw!**

**-Chu-Chi**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. Boo Hoo. I CAN write about them though to HA! **

**A/N: I'm back, my lovely reader, followers, lovers... wait, what? Nevermind. :) School is almost over which means more chapters shall be coming sooner and That IS a promise. 8D **

**TOUCH MY BODY! LOL.**

_**Chapter 21, Sodapop, Don't Play With Me **__**Like That.**_

It had been two months today since the incident with Dallas and everything was, perfect so far.

Johnny was fine, good as new. He smiled a lot more and wasn't so nervous. He was more of an explorer, like a new baby, eager to explore the world. I guess a near-death experience was all he needed.

Dallas was still a hardheaded jack ass but, he wasn't so closed out. He couldn't quite put up his shield like before. He was more open. Well, he was too me at least. The only problem was that he couldn't really look me or Johnny in the eye anymore and it bugged Johnny and I to hell.

Darry and Pony were a little better about the fighting. They got along better I guess but the fights were still there.

Steve and Two-Bit were still annoying but lovable, just how I like'em.

And Soda was perfect as always.

The court had kept the boys together and Steve and I had been officially put in Darry's custody until Steve turned eighteen because my father had gone missing. I couldn't say I really cared about him. I got my job and Danny's Diner back and was also working part time at the Dingo with Pony. Everything couldn't be more wonderful.

Man was I wrong.

I was cleaning tables at the Dingo when the bell over the door rang and in walked my incredible boyfriend, Sodapop. He glanced around the place until he found me, then walked over and started pulling me out of the building with a goofy, "_I know something you don't know!" _grin on his face.

"Your taking your lunch break now." He stated. I raised my eyebrows at him and put my hands on my waist.

"Oh I am?" I asked. He grinned and nodded.

"Yes, you are. C'mon!" He said and dragged me to his car and practically tossed me in. "I'm taking you somewhere special." He said as he drove off. I was silently laughing to myself. It was such a Sodapopish thing for him to do.

"Okay, where are we going?" I asked. He looked at me with a mischievous smile.

"Somewhere." He answered. I gave a short laugh.

"No kidding?" I said. We pulled up to the lake and I felt myself smile brightly. "The lake? I haven't been here for like three years!" I said brightly. Soda grinned right back at me.

"I thought you might like it." He answered. I jumped out and stripped down to my black panties and red bra while Soda watched, well stared actually. I laughed and posed.

"You like what you see?" I asked with a giggle. Soda nodded dumbly.

"Oh yeah, me likey." He said. I laughed and looked at the water for a second and in that one second, Soda had stripped to his boxers, ran over to me, picked me up and threw me in the freezing lake. I bobbed on the surface as he cannonballed in. I gave a short scream as the icy droplets hit my skin. Soda came up behind me and grinned like a little boy.

"Sodapop! You ass hat!" I gasped. He laughed loudly and looked at me like I was crazy.

"I had a muscle spasm… and what the crap is an ass hat?" He asked with a smirk. I snorted and splashed him lightly as he moved closer to me.

"Muscle spasm my ass. And _you're_ an ass hat, duh." I stated as if it was easier then talking. He swam next to me and picked me up and prepared to throw me. I gasped when I got into the air and glared down at him. "Soda, if you throw me, I'll kill you." I said seriously but he just snorted.

"Yeah, sure. Try again." He said.

"I'll break up with you." I said as seriously as I could. He snorted again.

"Bull shit. You know you wont dump this sexy body." He grinned and it was my turn to snort.

"Whatever gets you through the night, pal. Fine, then I'll get Two-Bit to rape you." I stated. He gagged and let me down but didn't let me go.

"Fine, you win this time Randle." He growled playfully.

"I win EVERY time Curtis." I replied and splashed him. That's how we spent the rest of the day, playing in the water and just enjoying each other. When the sun was setting, Soda pulled me out of the water and covered my eyes with a blindfold even though I complained and bitched about it. He led me somewhere and it seemed like we walked for miles, but eventually, he stopped me and laughed softly.

"Okay, take the blindfold off." He whispered. Hesitantly, I reached back and undid the small knot that kept the blindfold in place. It fell to the floor and I opened my eyes and saw the best of memories. Memories from when the three of us, Steve, Soda, and I, were still kids.

It was our old tree house. The one Steve, Soda, and I all built with our own hands. We had built it in the middle of the woods near the lake. It was anything but an ordinary tree house. The outside was wood painted in four different colors. Green, for Soda's favorite color, red, for Steve's, blue, for mine, and the last wall we left plain and had simply doodled all over it. The inside floor was completely covered in mattresses and pillows so no matter where you stepped, it was soft ground. There were two windows, one on the roof and one on the side. The one on the roof was so that we could see the stars at night and the one at the side had an awesome view of the lake and surrounding woods.

My favorite place on earth… well, besides Soda's bed but that's not appropriate. (I am still a virgin so not IN THAT WAY!)

"Oh. My. Lord." I whispered as a smile crept onto my face. I looked at Soda with a big grin. "Your awesome, Soda." I said. He smirked and nodded his head.

"No kidding?" He laughed and pulled me along towards it. We swiftly climbed the ladder and jumped inside the tree house, the mattress springs creaked and bounced at the sudden weight.

I felt like an eight-year-old as Soda and I bounced around in the club house and wrestled and just goofed off without even caring that I was still in my underwear and Soda was in only his boxers.

After a while, we found ourselves just lying there watching the stars. I swear today has been the best day of my life and I didn't think it could get any better until Soda looked at his watch and then at me with a giant grin.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five…" Every time he said another number, he placed another soft kiss on my shoulder, neck, cheek, or jaw. "…Three, two, one. Happy Birthday." He whispered with a grin. My eyes snapped open and I looked at him with confusion.

"Happy birthday? It's not my birthday, my birthday is on Thursday, Soda." I said with a smile. He chuckled.

"As of three seconds ago, it IS Thursday, April 1st thus meaning it is your birthday and you are officially seventeen." He concluded with a knowing smile. "I can't believe you forgot your own birthday, Crissy." He laughed and poked my cheek lightly.

"Soda… it's Tuesday. Not Thursday." I insisted. He raised one eyebrow and shook his head and laughed.

"You work to much… it's Thursday." He responded. I raised one eyebrow like him.

"You serious?" I asked in disbelief. There was NO WAY the week could have gone by with me thinking it was Tuesday… could it?

"Dead serious." He said and chuckled and kissed my cheek.

"Wow. I can't believe it." I muttered which just made him crack up laughing. "Oh shut your trap. It's so not funny!" I said but couldn't help laughing back. "So is this my present? Being off work?" I asked with a grin. I seriously hoped that this was it because I really didn't want Soda buying me anything. This was MORE than enough. But he just looked at me with a sly smile.

"Half of it." He answered. I sighed and sunk in the mattress.

"You didn't spend money on me, right?" I asked hopefully. He chuckled and shook his head.

"No. I didn't spend a dime." He assured me.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

I smiled and curled up into his side with a happy sigh and he wrapped his arms protectively around me. One of his hands started to draw lazy circles into my side and where his fingers were left burning, icy trails in my skin. He leaned down and placed soft butterfly kisses on my neck until he pressed his lips to mine softly.

He pulled away and smiled at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing. Your just incredible. Oh, yeah! I almost forgot… your present!" He said. I sat up on my knees and looked at him with a small smile.

"No money?" I asked to be sure.

"No money." He said as he got on his knees in front of me and dug in his pocket for something. He pulled out a small black box and looked me in the eye. My heart stopped beating in my chest when he opened it.

It was his mom's engagement ring. I recognized it from when I used to talk to her as a little girl. The band was pure gold, thin and delicate and branched into a golden wed around the small diamonds that led up to an oval shaped diamond smack in the center.

I tore my eyes away from the gorgeous ring and looked at Soda with wide eyes. My heart was beating so hard that I could feel it against my chest pumping a mile a minute.

"Sodapop, don't play with me like this… are you serious?" I asked. I mean, c'mon! Sodapop was PROPOSING to ME on my BIRTHDAY which just so HAPPENS to be on APRIL FOOLS DAY. Yeah, right. Totally believable. But he just grinned hugely and nodded.

"Criss, you've been my best friend since grade school. You were there for me when my mom and dad died and you were there to support me when I dropped out of school and you were there when Sandy broke my heart. I love you so much more than a best friend and I want you to be mine forever. I almost lost you once and I'm not gonna risk that again. So Crystal Marie Randle… marry me?"

* * *

**ANNNNNND SHA-BANG! The chapter SO many have been waiting for is HERE ANNNNNNND it's an evil CLIFFHANGER! MUAHAHAHA! MUAHAHAHA! *cough, cough* MUAHAHAHA! :) I'm evil I know. But... drama comes soon. Very soon. :) TeeHee! Okay, show of hands, who would LOVE to be Crissy in this chapter with how.... CLOSE she gets to Soda? I know I fudgeing do!**

**REVIEWS ARE PICKLES! **

**-Chu-Chi**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: Don't own them, Nope nope nope! I DO however own this lovely love scene.**

**A/N: TOLD YOU SO! See? I told you that I would update sooner! Muahaha! **

**_Chapter 22, Fear The Horrible Wrath Of __Steve Randle!_**

I was frozen in complete shock. Sodapop Curtis, the most perfect person on this planet, wanted to marry me? He loved me? How? It made no sense, it was impossible to comprehend. But…

It was true.

Sodapop loved me as much as I loved him. He wanted me forever just like I wanted him forever. We were made for each other, as cliché as that sounds. We were seriously meant to be together.

I could feel the hot, wet tracks that my tears had made on my cheeks as I nodded my head quickly. "Yes, yes, yes! A thousand times, yes!" I laughed and threw my arms around his neck and kissed him with everything I had.

"Yes?" He asked against my lips and picked me up and spun me around.

"Yes!" I repeated and laughed and kissed him again. He pulled back and took the ring out of the box and I held out my hand with a huge grin on my face. Soda kissed each of my fingers and then kissed the ring before sliding it on to my finger. He looked up at me and grinned the biggest grin I had ever seen and pressed his lips to mine softly. I pushed my fingers threw his hair and deepened the kiss as his arms snaked around my waist and pushed my body closer to his. His hands roamed my back and left a burning trail where ever he touched while my hands traced his sculptured chest. His tongue slide along my bottom lip and I opened my mouth and gave him what he wanted. Our tongues battled for dominance.

We broke the kiss when the need for oxygen was becoming an issues and Soda laid me down on the soft floor and started kissing from my temple to my jaw and then down my neck and then stopped when he got to the sensitive skin that joins my shoulder and neck and sucked softly causing me to whimper softly.

I pulled his face back up to mine and kissed him hard while his hands roamed my body. Soda flipped over so I was laying on his chest. We were not planning on going all the way, but we got there. Trust me. He was mine forever. Though, I never pictured my first time in a clubhouse, but it was perfect all the same.

**....**

When I woke up, Soda was on his back while I was draped across his chest while he ran his fingers lazily up and down my spine. The sun was just rising and the air was chilly but Soda was keeping me nice and warm. I sighed happily and placed a soft kiss on his chest.

"Mornin'." I said sleepily and was then overtaken by a massive yawn.

Soda chuckled a little and kissed the top of my head. "Morning, love." He whispered back.

I felt great. Like I was sitting on top of the world, well, I felt great besides the ache in between my legs but still, I felt pretty good.

"I can't believe it." I muttered to myself as something came to my mind.

"What?" Soda asked.

"I can't believe Steve and Darry let you ask me to marry you." I said with shock painting my voice. Soda shifted under me and chuckled nervously.

"Yeah… um, I didn't exactly tell them. Well, I told Darry, but not Steve." He said and laughed nervously. I jumped up and looked at him with wide eyes.

"WHAT?" I yelled. Soda sat up and smiled sheepishly.

"Criss, he woulda shot me and you know it." He said. I couldn't help but chuckle and nod.

"Okay, you're right. But you're telling him when we get home." I stated as I pulled on my panties and bra and began to climb down the ladder.

"What? No!" He said running after me in his boxers.

"Yes. You got yourself into this Soda." I said.

"Crap!" He muttered and draped and arm over my shoulder as we walked back to the lake.

**….**

We pulled up at Soda's house and Soda turned in his seat to me. "Only Darry and Pony and most likely Johnny. We'll tell Steve later okay?" He said. I nodded but then smirked.

"By we you mean you, right?" I said. He groaned and nodded.

"Fine!" I laughed and jumped out of the car. Soda came around and put his arm around my waist while we walked up the path.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY CRISSY!" Everybody screamed as Soda opened the door. My eyes popped open and I looked at him.

"Did you know about this?" I asked. He grinned and nodded. Angela, Emily, and Evie ran up to me first. They all hugged me together and Angela grinned and handed me a blue bag.

"Tonight you are coming over my house and we are having a girls night to celebrate your birthday!" He said with a grin. Evie hugged me next and even if she wasn't my FAVORITE person, I was still grateful that she came. She handed me a pink box and grinned.

"We are gonna have SO much fun tonight!" She gushed and hugged my again. Emily came up with a huge smile and handed me a small green bag.

"Happy Birthday Crissy." She said and hugged me. It went on like that for the rest of the night.

Angela and her brothers ,who were both in jail and couldn't come, got me a really cute outfit. It was a white tank top with a lacey white top to go over that and a royal blue skirt that came to the middle of my thighs. Not my style, but still incredibly cute.

Evie had gotten me three different perfume bottles. One was lavender, one was rain, and one was rose.

Emily and Two-Bit had gotten me a necklace. The chain was a thick black string and a shark tooth hung on it.

Darry, Pony, and Soda had pitched in to get me a brand new pair of sneakers which I needed really bad.

Two-Bit and Dally got me a new switchblade.

And Steve had gotten me the best present of all. A brand new friggin' car! He said it was totaled but with a little work he fixed it up, re painted it and it was now mine! It was a royal blue T-bird totally souped up and totally awesome!

Of course I never got to tell Steve because, as promised, as soon as the party was over, Angela, Emily, and Evie dragged me outta the house and down to Angela's.

**….**

All of us were in our PJs now and I decided I was going to tell them the news.

"Okay, okay. I have to tell y'all something." I said. Angela gave me her "_I already know everything" _look while Evie and Emily looked at me with curious looks.

"Sure, what's up?" Emily asked.

I couldn't stop the grin from painting my face as I held out my hand so they all got a clear look at me ring. They all jumped up and started screaming and hugging me.

"Oh my god! Soda proposed! When? Last night? It was last night wasn't it!" Evie said. Angela grabbed my hand and whistled.

"Damn! Look at that ring! It musta cost a fortune!" She said.

"Oh glory! When's the weddin'!" Emily asked.

I laughed and smiled. "Yeah, he proposed last night and actually, it was his mom's ring… it didn't cost a dime. And I actually have NO IDEA when the wedding is." I answered there questions.

"Oh lord, you're so lucky! Soda is so adorable! You two are PERFECT for each other!" Angela said with a grin.

"Ya know, Angie… I think you're right. I Think we ARE meant for each other." I said back with a grin.

**….**

I came the next day and the smile on my face faded when I saw Steve standing in the driveway with a pissed expression.

"YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED? Crystal Marie Randle why am I the last one to know? I'm your brother for Christ sakes! And you're only seventeen as of yesterday! You're way too young to be getting married!" He screamed .

"Steve! I am old enough to make my own choices!" I yelled back as Dally and Two-Bit came out.

"Aw c'mon Steve! Leave'er alone! I personally am happy for them!" Two-Bit said as he picked me up in a bear hug. "Congrats Crissy." He said and flashed his famous grin.

"Excuse me if I don't like the fact that my little sister is getting married at seventeen to my best friend!" Steve growled. Dally placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I think you're too young but I also think Steve's a loud mouth and needs to put a sock in it, but hay, congratulations." Dally said and nodded his head in my direction. Steve was fuming.

I guess the whole gang was here because Darry, Soda, Pony, and Johnny came running out to see what was going on.

"You are NOT getting married! I forbid it!" Steve hollored.

"Ya know what? You can take your forbidding and shove it up your ass, Steve! I'll do what I want when I want just like I always have. You may be my big brother but you ain't the boss of me, savvy?" I screamed back.

"ENOUGH!" Darry shouted. "Steve, take a walk and cool down." Darry said. Steve shook Dallas off and stalked down the driveway and out of the yard.

"Congrats?" Pony said unsurely. And I forced a smile and ruffled his hair.

"Thanks guys." I said and hugged Pony and Johnny to me. I gave a grateful look to Darry before walking inside.

* * *

**M'kay so... ya. Sorry but it was too awkward for me to actually make a sex scene... i'm only 13. :)**

**REVIEWS ARE STEVE'S ANGER MANAGMENT CLASSES!**

**-Chu-Chi**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: *puts hands up* NO NO NO NO NO NOPE! I don't own them so back off! *whacks with stick***

**A/N: I know you all most likely want to slit my throat for taking so long and then only posting this tiny chapter but I have even worse news... i'm putting this story on hold. My family and life is very hectic right now and I know I said that once summer came I would update more but it's not working out that way. I am not abandoning the story! Its just on hold for now. I ask for your fogiveness and to just bear with me for a while until my familt issues get sorted out. **

**Anyway, in other news WE BROKE 100! WOO! 102 to be exact as of right now and I feel VERY happy about it. :) Thanks to everyone that gave me constructive critisim to help me with my writing and hugs and kisses to everyone who just gave me awesome reviews. I love you all more then a pedophile loves little childern! :p **

**ENOUGH WITH ME TALKING, LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!**

_**Chapter 23, Never, Ever Say Things Are Perfect, **__**It's Mega Bad Luck. **_

Steve was such an ass… but he was flexible. I was allowed to marry Soda on one simple condition, I stayed near him and didn't run off. Steve may be rough on the outside, but he was a big softy on the inside. I happily agreed to this simple condition and Steve stopped trying to strangle Sodapop every chance he got.

So now that my wedding was the biggest topic of conversation, I spent most of my days with Angela, Emily, Evie, and my cousin that had just came up from Florida, Alexandra or Alex, as she likes to be called.

Well, lemme tell you a few things about Alex. She is the roughest girl in the world. I learned to be tough from her as much as I had from Steve. She's got shoulder length, raven black, curly hair and dark, dark eyes. Like two pieces of frozen dark chocolate that only melt for me and Steve. She's a year older then me but she's about and inch shorter then me as well. A strong curvy body hides under her baggy pants and t-shirts that she usually wears. But even as tough as she is, she has one weakness… Dallas Winston.

Okay, so she denied it till she was blue in the face, but that girl was hopelessly in love with that boy. They were like twins with opposite features. It was actually funny to watch her and Dally interact. It was so obvious she liked him and I THINK Dally liked her too… but DAMN were those two hard headed!

Anyway, jumping off the topic of Alex and her hard headedness, the five of us girls were currently loading up in my new T-bird and getting ready because today we go dress shopping. The wedding was in about seven weeks give or take a few weeks. My flower girls were Alex's little sisters, Alice and Alyson. They were twins and totally adorable. Alice had long, straight, mouse brown hair that she just LOVED to put little clips in and Alyson had the same except she always had her hair up in a ponytail. They were nine years old. Alex was my bride's maid and since my father was a douche-bag, Steve was going to give me away.

Everything was going absolutely perfect.

Hell, everything WAS perfect.

Man, I really jinxed myself there.

I had picked out, with the help of my girls, an amazing gown. It was bone white and strapless and hugged my curves just perfectly. It fell straight down and cut off to the left so the bottom was slanted. Beautiful, intricate designs were beaded into the gown and when they caught the light, sparkled like diamonds. It was nothing fancy, but it was just right for me. My shoes were white satin heels almost as long as my foot with straps that laced up to my ankles. My veil was a ring of white flowers with a simple veil trailing behind.

"Crissy, you and Soda plan your honey moon yet?" Alex asked from the back seat of my T-bird as we drove home.

"Nope." I answered.

"Good 'cause I did." She said and handed me a brochure for… for California?

"CALI? Alex, nuh uh! No way did you save up enough for us to go to CALIFORNIA." I stated. She shrugged.

"Your right, I didn't. Angel, Eve, and Em helped out." She said.

"Seriously?" I squealed happily.

"Seriously!" Angela cut in with a giant grin.

"Yeah, Hawaii isn't good enough for our FAVORITE couple ever. Only Cali fit the bill." Evie cut in.

"Plus, Sodapop's a hopeless romantic, he'll go crazy in the city of romance itself." Emily added.

"Guys, I wasn't gonna turn it down… no friggin' way. I just can't believe you lazy bitches got up enough money for this!" I said with amazement in my voice. Alex whacked me on the back of the head and I jerked the wheel to the right, causing the car to swerve.

"ALEX! I'm driving, you asstard!" I yelled. She chuckled and gave me a "What the hell?" look along with everyone else.

"What the fuck is an asstard, Crissy?" Evie asked.

"Alex is and asstard just as Soda is an asshat. Duh." I stated and everyone burst into a fit of giggles.

**….**

We pulled up into the driveway and started up the steps to get Pony to help us carry stuff in. He was the only one who wanted ANY part in helping us girls plus Soda plan the wedding. I opened the door and stepped in.

"PONY…" I started to call him but froze when I saw what was on the couch.

Sodapop, my FIANCE, was on his back with Sandy, his ex-girlfriend who cheated on him, on top of him, making out. The door slammed shut behind me and they pulled apart as Alex, Angela, Evie, and Emily starred in shock. Soda's face would have been funny if my heart wasn't cracking into a million pieces.

"Whoops. Sorry." Sandy said with a grin. "We thought you'd be out longer." Sandy said and touched Soda's chest. He smacked her hand away and stood up.

"Crissy… it isn't what it…" He began.

"It isn't what it looks like? Really, Soda? Really?" I asked, quite proud that my voice sounded stronger then I was.

"Babe, just hear me out." He begged, giving me the puppy dog eyes that I had never resisted… until now.

"Don't call me babe. You lost that right." I sounded so calm. So strong. You couldn't even tell I was breaking apart inside.

"Crissy, please." He begged.

"No." I said. "No. I'm done. We're done. Have fun with your slut." I said and calmly walked towards the door. Sandy stood up and walked over to me.

"Who are you calling a slut, bitch." She asked and put her hands on her hips.

"You." I answered calmly. She brought her fist back to punch me, but I raised my hand and stopped it in my palm. I twisted her arm behind her back and walked her outside with her yelling and screaming curses at me. I pushed her to the ground and continued to the car with the girls following Soda and me.

"Crissy! Please, listen to me! I love you!" He said. I turned around and backhanded him across the face.

"Love? LOVE? Really? You LOVE me? Yeah, right. Allow me to tell you what LOVE is. Love is when you care so much about someone, you'd rather YOU be hurt them that person. Love is when you would die for that person. Love is when you would be heart broken if that person hurt you, but you would be right next to them if they needed you the day. Love is NOT saying "I love you" one minute and then sucking face with your ex the next. That, Sodapop Patrick Curtis, is called betrayal. And I don't know about you, but I only give one chance. If you blow it…. then fuck you. Goodbye and have fun with the boys when they find out how much of a belly to the ground, cockroach you are." I said calmly and walked off.

I stopped suddenly and turned back around. I pulled off my engagement ring and threw it in his face. Then I got into the car and told Alex to take me to the DX, leaving Soda standing there with his mouth open in shock and starring at the engagement ring in the dust.

* * *

**Again, sorry for the short chapter... and Soda fans, don't hate me for this but its all part of my master plan! Muahaha! **

**REVIEWS ARE NICE... SO BE NICE! (i will be checking reviews, even if I don't update) **

**-Chu-Chi**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: Roses are red, Violets are blue, I don't own the Outsiders, But I wish to!**

**A/N: (cowers behind fat man) I'm so sorry to all my lovely readers who've been waiting patiently for me to take Butterflies off hold. Let me just say that I love you all and am so happy to have such dedicated readers. Thank you all for reviewing because like I said, I was watching. Butterflies will be ending soon because I don't want to go over 30-35 Chapters. I know how I want to end it and let me tell you... it'll be a real cool twist. **

**Because you all have waited so patiently... I'll post three chapters tonight. I love you all!**

**Enjoy!**

_**Chapter 24, Sisters. **_

He cheated on me. I loved him with everything I had and he just threw it out the door. Why? Did I do something wrong? Maybe I could have prevented this.

Alex was clearly pissed. She was driving down the road with an expression that would have made the Devil cower in fear. Evie and Angela and Emily were silent for once in the backseat.

"Alex, pull over." I pleaded in a soft voice. I could feel it coming. I could feel myself starting to break. She looked at me and pulled over without a word. She turned in her seat to look at me and I slowly looked up at her, feeling my eyes begin to swim with tears. As soon as my eyes met hers, I broke. The dam that had held everything in while I faced Soda split in half and I began to cry.

Heart breaking sobs raked my body and the next thing I knew, Alex had pulled me to her and my tears were soaking the shoulder of her T-shirt. Evie and Angela were rubbing my back and murmuring things to me like, "He's an ass to leave you." And "He wasn't the right guy for you." Emily held my hand tightly and she was starting to cry just by watching me. My tears fell in steady rivers over my cheeks and onto Alex's shoulder. She just hugged me, didn't say a word. Just let me know she was there for me no matter what.

I never felt so worthless. So completely unwanted. Was I so horrible that he couldn't just tell me he didn't want to be with me? Why did he have to go behind my back? _What did I do?_

Those questions were the ones my heart screamed. I didn't understand. Why me? Hadn't I been through enough? Why couldn't I ever have peace in my life? Why did my life have to be so fucked up?

I sobbed. I wept. I screamed. I died.

Crystal Marie Randle died that day. My heart died. My soul screamed. My world shattered. Nobody could understand just how much I loved Soda. It wasn't some stupid crush. It was real love. He was my soul mate. But I obviously wasn't his. I wasn't anything to him. I was trash.

I was broken. Destroyed. Shattered.

So I screamed some more. And I cried harder. And eventually, my heart breaking sobs quieted to hiccups. And the small, broken hiccups turned to tiny cries of pain. And then, I was silent. I had no more tears to shed. I had no more voice to scream. I had no more energy to cry. So I froze, just for a second, and I cut off everything. Everything that led to my heart, I cut loose everything that had to do with Sodapop. I cut free of my heart.

Instead of my loss, my pain, and my sorrow, I focused on Alex and my friends.

Alex. She was solid, like a rock. She would keep me here, on Earth. She would keep me from taking things too far. She would be my anchor.

Emily. She would be my teddy bear. She would be what I hold onto when I need compassion, love, or just hugs.

Angela. She would be my distraction. When I desperately need to get away from everything. When I needed to let go, she'd be who I go to.

Evie. She'd be my guard. When Soda comes to me to make up or whatever, she'd keep him away so that I wouldn't fall for him and his charm again.

They would help me get through this. They were my sisters. That's what they were here for.

* * *

**Next Chaoter we see the breakup through Soda's eyes and Dally's being brohterly? SAY WHAT?**

**Reviews are amazing. **

**-Chu-Chi. **


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: No. I don't own the bitches. **

**A/N: Second chapter of the day. One more to go! **

_**Chapter 25, Raindrops or Tears?**_

We pulled up to the DX and I calmly got out of the car. I looked like a statue, stony, expressionless, and that automatically put Dally into brother mode for some strange reason.

"Criss? What's wrong? What happened?" He asked, stomping out a weed and walking over to me.

I snorted. "Like you really give a flying fuck."

"I do. Who's ass am I kicking?"

"Mine. For being a stupid. blind, lovesick little girl." I said angrily.

"Crystal! This is not your fault! He doesn't even REALIZE that the best thing that ever happened to him just walked out the fucking door! If anyone's ass deserves to be kicked, it's his. Not yours." Alex cut in. She was livid, ready to tear someone (Soda) apart.

"Wait, what?" Dallas asked, his brow furrowing. "You and Soda get into it or something?"

"No, the stupid fuck cheated on her… with Sandy." Evie growled. "She walked in on them making out on the co…"

"Oh my gosh, shut up! Do you honestly think she wants to relive the incident? No!" Emily said and then placed her skinny little arm over my shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Don't worry, Crissy. You'll see, this will pass. You can do so much better than him!" Emily nodded.

I sighed in annoyance, not really in the mood to hear the stupid pep talks. I carefully removed Emily's arm from around my shoulders and starting walking down the street. Footsteps sounded behind me and I turned around. Alex and Dallas were following me.

"Where you going?" Alex asked.

"For a walk."

"We'll come with you." Dallas answered.

"Alone."

"No." They both said and I growled in anger.

"Would you all just back the fuck off? I need to be alone to think! Christ oh mighty!" I yelled and stomped off. This time, no one followed.

(Sodapop's POV)

"Sandy… what are you doing here? I thought you were in Florida." I said and gently pushed the girl off of me.

"I was! But I came back, Soda, I came back! I came back to be with you, Sodapop." She smiled and reached up on her toes to kiss me.

I took a step back and shook my head. "No, Sandy, you're pregnant." I said, trying to make sense of everything.

"No, Soda, Baby, I got an abortion. I didn't want a baby, I wanted you." She smiled and came at me again.

"Stop it!" I said and backed up again. Sandy stopped and cocked her head in confusion. "Just… just stay over there." I said as calmly as I could. "Why are you here?" I asked.

"Well, I heard you were getting married to Steve's little brother, oops, I mean sister. Married! Ha! She doesn't even act like girl! Like you would go for her." Sandy laughed. "And I came back because I love you, Soda. Don't you love me, baby?" She asked.

"I…"

"Sodapop…" Sandy said and started coming towards me again. I backed up until I fell back onto the sofa. She immediately climbed on top of me and started running her hands over my chest. "I love you so much." She whispered.

"Sandy… stop it. Get off. I AM getting married to Crystal. I love her." I said and tried to push her off, but she wouldn't move.

She just laughed. "I'll make you forget all about her."

"No, I love her." I repeated.

Sandy looked angry suddenly. "No you don't! You love me! I know you do! I can see it in your eyes!" She exclaimed. In one quick motion, she bent down and pressed her lips to mine. "Feel me, Soda. I'm who you belong with. I want you so bad." She murmured against my lips.

I tried to turn my head away, to fight the urge to kiss her back and run my hands all over her, but she wouldn't let me escape. She was everywhere. I groaned as she grinded against me.

Crissy, Crissy, Crystal, Criss, Crissy, Criss, Crystal, Cri… Sandy, Sandy, Sandy. I thought and turned my head back to her, pressing my lips to her forcefully. She grinned against my lips as I started to lay us back.

She was so familiar. I ran my hands over her back and moved my lips to her neck, sucking softly at the sensitive there.

I heard the door open, but was too lost in Sandy to care. "PONY…" A familiar voice began to call, but slowly dimmed to silence.

I shoved Sandy of and looked up in shock to see Alex, Angela, Evie, Emily, and worst of all, Crystal starring at me. All with cold, shocked expressions.

"Whoops. Sorry!" Sandy said with a grin. "We thought you'd be out longer." She added and touched her hand to my chest. I slapped her hand away and scrambled off the couch to stand in front of Crissy.

"Crissy… it isn't what it…" I began, already hearing how lame that sounded.

"It isn't what it looks like? Really, Soda? Really?" She said and crossed her arms over her chest, I was a little shocked. So emotion would be nice. But no, she calm, totally calm.

"Babe… just hear me out." I pleaded and turned on the puppy dog eyes. She had to listen. I couldn't just lose her.

"Don't call me babe. You lost that right." She stated calmly. Her brown eyes were frozen solid. Like Dally's eyes. Just cold.

"Crissy. Please." I begged brokenly. She had to forgive me. She had to!

"No. No. I'm done. We're done." She said with a blank look. "Have fun with your slut." She added and turned to walk out the door.

Sandy stood from where she was watching everything and walked towards Crissy.

"Who are you calling a slut, bitch?" She asked angrily as Crissy turned around and met her eyes dead on.

"You." She said simply. I watched as Sandy pulled her arm back to punch Crissy. It snapped forward and Crissy caught it in the palm of her hand, twisted it behind Sandy's back and walked her outside.

"Fucking bitch! Let me go! Whore!" Sandy screamed until Crissy shoved her into the dirt and continued walking to the car. The girls followed behind me as I followed her.

She wasn't going to leave. I had to stop her. It was a mistake, she'd understand. She HAD to. I couldn't live without her. "Crissy! Please!" I called. "Listen to me! I love you!" I yelled brokenly.

Before I could understand what happen, I felt the stinging pain.

She'd slapped me. Really slapped me. Not like when we were little and would play around, she'd meant to hurt me.

She was angry, and she had a right to. Her eyes weren't cold anymore. They were heated. I was scared.

"Love? LOVE?" She screamed. "You LOVE me? Yeah, right!" She scoffed and gave me a shove backwards. "Allow me to tell you what love is. Love is when you care so much about someone, you'd rather YOU be hurt then that person." She hollered. "Love is when you would die for that person. Love is when you would be heartbroken if that person hurt you, but you would be right next to them if they needed you the day. Love is NOT saying "I love you" one minute and then sucking face with your ex the next. That, Sodapop Patrick Curtis, is called betrayal. And I don't know about you, but I only give one chance. If you blow it…. then fuck you." She shrugged. "Goodbye and have fun with the boys when they find out how much of a belly to the ground, cockroach you are." She screamed and started to walk off.

That hurt. It felt like a knife had been shoved through my chest. It was unbearable.

It was true. She was absolutely right. She deserved better.

I stared at her retreating form until she stopped suddenly and turned around, walking back to me. For a moment, I thought she was going to hug me and say she was sorry. Then I could say she had nothing to be sorry for. That I was sorry.

But instead, she finished me off. She pulled the engagement ring off of her finger and threw it in my face. It bounced off my cheek and fell into the dust.

She turned without a word and jumped into the car, driving away as I stared at the ring in the dirt. My eyes watered and a tear dropped next the ring on the ground.

No. No, no, no, no, NO!

My head screamed as I bet down and carefully picked up the ring, kneeling in the dirt where it had fallen, I stared at the tiny ring in the palm of my hand.

The screen door banged open and I heard Ponyboy's voice. "Get outta here, Sandy! Ain't you done enough to him? Scram! Get! Don't you ever come back!" He hollered. A car door opened and Sandy's car drove off down the road.

He kneeled next to me and put his arm around my shoulder. "Soda." He whispered.

"She… no." I moaned and slumped forward, holding myself up by my forearms as the tears started coming. They fell hard and fast and in the back round, a strange, strangled noise sounded.

"Calm down, Soda. We'll fix this. Shh." Pony soothed.

Oh. The noise was me.

So this is what it felt like to have your heart ripped out.

(Crystal's POV)

A drop of water hit my arm and I looked up at the dark clouds. "Fucking great." I hissed and started walking faster down the road.

Why. Why did I come here? WHY! I screamed in my head as I passed the Curtis house. Looking at it gave me more horrible memories, but I pushed on passed it.

The rain suddenly cascaded from the sky and pelted the pavement.

Thump-a, thump-a, thump-a!

I turned around and saw a sweaty Sodapop running towards me, getting soaked in the rain like me. Seeing him sent tears to my eyes. I swallowed and put on a hard, cold mask.

"Criss…" He breathed.

"Shut up. I don't want to talk to you. I have nothing to say." I stated and turned to walk away.

His familiar, strong arms spun me around and held me still. "But I do! You have to know the truth!" He yelled.

"Let me fucking go!" I cried out and felt the tears run over my cheeks. Or maybe it was raindrops. I wasn't sure.

"Not until you listen to me!" She yelled back. His clothes were drenched and stuck to his body like mine and drops of rain rolled off his hair. My hair clung to my neck and shoulders.

"I saw you, Soda! I don't need to listen to anything!" I screamed out and wriggled in his grasp. "Did you think I wouldn't find out? Why, Soda? Why would you do that to me?" I hollered.

"Crissy…"

I cut him off and banged my fists against his chest. "Why? Why, Sodapop? What have I ever done to make you do something so horrible to me? Something you knew would break me?" I cried. I couldn't take it anymore. I let out a sob and slipped out of his grasp.

My knees hit the floor and I sobbed.

"Just tell me, Soda. What did I ever do but love you with all my heart?" I sobbed brokenly and buried my face in my hands.

He kneeled in front of me and pushed the strands of wet hair from my face gently. "I kissed her, Crissy. I won't lie. But I tried not to, I did everything to stop her but I couldn't. I lost my mind. And you walked in and everything came back and I wanted to stab myself for hurting you. Hurting you killed me Crissy. It won't ever happen again." He said and lifted my face up to met his eyes.

"They all say the same thing." I sobbed miserably.

"You know me better than anyone, Criss. Look into my eyes and tell me if I'm lying." He begged as I dropped my head back down. I shook my head at him. "Please, Crystal. I love you. I've never loved anyone so much in my whole life. You're everything to me. I need you to believe me. I'll die without you." He begged.

I looked up and saw sincere tears brimming his miserable brown eyes. He looked broken, it was worse than when his parents had died or when Sandy had left him. He looked utterly hopeless.

And it was my fault. I was killing him.

"Please." He whimpered. My heart screamed at me to grab him and kiss him with my all. To believe him.

But my head told me to run away. To not let myself get hurt again.

Always follow your heart, Baby Girl. It'll lead you right where you need to go. My mother's voice drifted through my head.

I didn't think twice. I pushed myself at him, sitting taller than him on my knees, and pushed my hands through his hair and kissed him with everything I had in me.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him, locking me in a death grip I never wanted to leave,

I broke away from him for air and leaned my forehead against his. "I love you so much." I whispered. "But if you ever touch, no, if you ever LOOK at another girl again and I find out about it, I will cut off your penis and feed it to Raven." I threatened seriously.

He shook his head quickly. "Never again. I love you too much for me to survive this again." He whispered with his eyes still closed. One of his hands left my waist and he pulled from his pocket the ring I had thrown at him. My engagement ring. His eyes opened and he held the ring out to me, "It's yours if you still want it." He said, doubt shining in his eyes. Like he thought I was going to refuse it.

I grabbed it and slid it back into place on my finger. Smiling, I pressed my lips to his softly again. He placed his palm against my cheek and wiped away water from my eyes. "Are these raindrops or tears?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Who knows?"

He smiled at me and stood, pulling me with him.

"Let's go home, you're gonna get sick." He whispered and tucked me under his arm.

"So will you. You're not Superman, Soda." I responded.

"Says who?"

"Me." An angry voice hissed from behind me.

* * *

**I would never break Soda and Crissy up for good! Ha! But who's behind them? Her dad? Steve? Two-Bit? Dally? **

**Review**

**-Chu-Chi**


	26. Chapter 26

**Discalimer: Don't. Own. Them.**

**A/N: So, I promised that this would be up yesterday night, but we had a bad storm and lost power so I didn't have my computer and my laptop ran out of juice. So here it is today. And one other thing... I know my spelling and such hasn't been as great as usual, but that's because the spell check on my computer is being a bitch. So please forgive me and my mistakes. **

**Enjoy!**

_**Chapter 26, Sure As HELL Didn't See That One Coming!**_

"Me." And angry voice hissed behind me. Soda and I whirled around and I only had time to blink before Steve threw a punch and Soda went flying backwards.

"Steve! What the hell?" I screamed as he stalked back to Soda and yanked him roughly off the ground.

"You think you can treat my sister like trash? Huh? You think you can go and fuck whoever you want without consequences? Huh? No, it don't work that way!" Steve yelled and shook Soda back and forth.

"Steve! Stop it! You're hurting him!" I screamed and pulled on Steve's arm. He threw me off and I stumbled back as he crashed his fist into Soda's stomach. Soda's blew out a gush of air and doubled over on himself.

"You think you can just break her heart like that? No! You can't!" Steve hollered and kicked Soda in the shin.

"Soda!" I cried out. "Steve, stop it!" I screamed and started punching his back.

"Stay out of this, Crystal!" Steve barked.

"No!" I screamed back.

Steve didn't respond, but instead smashed his fist into Soda's face again. Soda's nose was bleeding and his lip was busted.

"Fucking cheater!" Steve yelled and raised his fist to hit Soda again, but Soda threw a punch back and nailed Steve in the jaw. Steve flew back on his butt and Soda jumped on top of him, punching him repeatedly.

"Soda! Stop! Leave him alone!" I screamed. And started pulling on Soda, but he shoved me back and went back to pounding Steve.

I noticed the Curtis house just down the road and broke out in a sprint towards it. I stopped at the gate and slammed my hands against it to get Two-Bit and Emily's attention since they were sitting outside. "Two-Bit! Help! Steve and Soda are going at it!" I screamed quickly. He shot up and yelled for the boys before following me down the road.

When we got back, Steve had pinned Soda down and was now punching him in the face.

Darry ran forward and yanked Steve off of Soda. Dally and Two-Bit grabbed Soda and I stood in the middle of both.

"It was an accident!" Soda screamed at Steve and tried to rip away from Dally and Two-Bit.

"I don't give a shit! I'll kill you for hurting her!" Steve screamed back and fought against Darry.

"Both of you SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Forget I ever came to get you guys! Just let the two year olds fight it out!" I yelled and stalked down the street, hearing footsteps behind me. I turned and saw Johnny trailing after me, so I slowed my pace and waited for him to catch up.

We started walking home when I suddenly felt nauseated. I grabbed and Johnny's jacket, telling him to stop. "Criss?" He asked softly. I let go of him and ran to the bushes and lost my lunch. Johnny came and held my hair back and when I was done, I fell back on my butt and he kneeled behind me and rubbed my back. "Crissy, are you alright?" He asked worriedly.

I was dizzy for a second, and then I felt perfect. Like nothing had happened. I nodded. "Yeah. I think it's just shock." I said unsurely. Johnny stood and helped me to my feet.

"You sure?"

"Positive." I said and we walked into the house. Only Alex and Ponyboy were there, watching out the window while Darry screamed at Soda and Steve.

"Crissy! Are you alright?" Alex hurried to my side and pulled me in for a hug. "You look like crap." She stated.

"Gee thanks." I said sarcastically.

The front door banged opened and Steve stomped in. He walked straight up to me and I flinched, bracing myself for the scream. Instead, Steve wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly. "God, why'd you have to grow up so fast." He muttered and then dropped me back down and planted his butt on the sofa.

"What… just happened?" I asked Alex.

"No clue." She answered with a simple shrug.

"I think Steve has PMS." Johnny muttered quietly.

Soda came stomping in next, holding Darry's shirt to his bleeding nose. Darry, Two-bit and Dally followed in after him. Soda turned to me, his eyes looked sorry. He opened his mouth as I put my hand up to stop him. "I'm so not in the mood. Steve pushes me, and then you push me too? No." I said and turned, walking into my room.

Pony was sitting quietly on the bed, reading a book. I flopped next to him and leaned back, placing my head on his knee. "Pony… I think I made a mistake." I murmured.

He lifted his head from the book and locked eyes with me. "On what?"

"On forgiving Sodapop so easily. I love him, Pone, I really do. But I also feel that I should have made him work if he wanted me back. How do I know that Sandy won't show up again and he'll 'accidentally' sleep with her?" I moaned at the thought and covered my face with my arm.

"C'mon Criss," Pony mumbled and rubbed my arm gently. "You know Soda woulda stopped. He woulda got his bearings, got rid of Sandy, and then gone to find you. He loves you." He explain.

"I don't know he would have done that. I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't walked in." I whispered.

"Love and trust go hand in hand, Crissy." Pony pointed out.

I sat up and looked him dead in the eye. "But that's just it!" I threw my hands up in frustration. "I don't know I can trust him anymore! I've been through too much for this bullshit!" I said.

Suddenly, I got the urge to break out in tears. Which was strange because a second ago, I felt fine. Frustrated, but fine.

I sniffled as a tear rolled down my cheek.

"Aw, Crissy." Pony said softly and hugged me.

I laughed suddenly and pushed him away. "I ain't sad, Pony." I laughed again. _What the fuck is wrong with me? _I thought.

"Then… why are you crying?" He asked, a perplexed expression on his face.

"I actually have no clue." Another bubble of laughter slipped out of my mouth. _It must be my period or something… _"Pony? What's today?"

"Uh… June 14th, I think." He responded. My eyes popped open wide as I stared at him.

"June?" I squeaked. "Are you sure it isn't April?" I asked.

"No, its June. How can two whole months go by with you thinking its April." He laughed.

But I wasn't laughing. Not at all. Because if it was June, and not April, that would mean that I had missed two periods.

After I had slept with Sodapop.

Well fuck me rolling!

"Shit!" I hissed and jumped from the bed.

"Whoa, what?" Pony asked, standing in alarm at my outburst.

"I… have to go. Now!" I screamed and sprinted to the living room. Alex was sitting on Dally's lap, flirting with him, when I ran in and yanked her off.

"Whoa! Crissy, what the fuck?" She asked.

"I need to talk to you… now!" I said urgently and pulled her outside with me.

"What is going on?" She yelled and pulled herself free of my grasp.

"I missed two periods." I whispered.

"What? So?" She asked.

"And I slept with Soda in April."

"WHAT? Crissy, you might be preg…!" She started screaming until I slapped my hand over her mouth.

"Shh! I'm not for sure! So shut it." I released her after she nodded.

"Oh, lord! What are you gonna do?" She hissed to me.

"I don't know! See a doctor? Find out for sure!"

"Want me to come with you?"

"No… I have to tell Soda first."

"No, don't do that! Wait to find out what the doctor says first!" She argued. "Me and you will go and find out and then tell Sodapop." She reasoned.

My head was buzzing with information, and I didn't want to talk anymore, so I just nodded in agreement. She muttered about going to make an appointment as I sunk onto the outdoor steps.

…

"Mrs. Randle. So good to see you again. You look lovely." Dr. Evans said with a big smile on her face.

"Thanks." I mumbled back and squeezed Alex's hand.

"So, what are we in for today? Hmm? Broken bones…?" She prodded.

"No, no. Not this time. I think I may be… pregnant." I whispered.

Her big blue eyes widened. "Oh. Well, we can certainly find out. Come this way." She motioned for us to go into another room where she ran a few tests and then told us to wait in the waiting room for a while.

When she returned, she had a huge smile on her face so I heaved a sigh of relief. _She wouldn't be happy about a teenager getting pregnant, so I must be home free. _

"Congratulations Mrs. Randle. You're two and a half months pregnant." She said with a big grin.

I stood up. "What?"

….

"Good luck." Alex said sadly as she dropped me off in front of the Curtis house.

"Yeah." I whispered and started up the stairs. I pushed the door opened and found all of the boys standing there, looking horrified at Soda and Steve. When the door slammed shut behind me, all eyes turned towards me. They were filled with sympathy and sadness.

I cringed. "What?" I asked.

Soda and Steve both turned to look at each other, and then at me again, and then at the letters in their hands. "What is that?" I asked.

"Crissy…" Soda whispered. "I need to talk to you." He grabbed my hand and led me into the bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind us.

"I need to tell you something." We both said in sync. I motioned for him to go first. He swallowed and met my eyes with tears brimming his. "I'm being drafted."

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN! I told you it is almost done! This is the final peak in drama and then, its my wonderful ending. Most likely won't go over 30 chapters so prepare yourself! **

**Love and Light and Reviews!**

**-Chu-Chi**


	27. Note

Hi.

My wonderful fans, please, I beg of you, hold yourselves back from hurting me as I know you wish to and allow me to explain myself. I know I kept you all waiting for an update for a very, very, VERY long time, but there is a reason.

I am incredibly forgetful. Seriously, I have the memory of a brain-dead squirrel. And, I am also incredibly stupid. You see, what happened was that we had to cut off our Internet for a while because we couldn't afford to pay for it. So, for about 3 months I had zero acess to a computer with internet.

When we got out internet back and I tried to log onto my FanFiction account I found that I couldn't remember which of my millions of E-mail adresses I had used to create my account. I also forgot my password so that didn't help either. (In reality I hadn't used one of MY e-mail adresses for fear that this would happen, I used my mom's. Funny, huh?)

A few weeks later I was clearing out my documents and I ACCEDENTALY deleted my Butterflies document.

Like I said, stupid and forgetful.

It was only this morning that my very wonderful boyfriend who used to help me write reminded me that I had used my mom's e-mail and my hamster's name as my password.

So, I hurried on to post this little note of explanation for my unexcusable absence.

Forgive me! Por favor! Please!

Now that i'm back online fret not for I shall soon be uploading the final chapters of Butterflies... I just have to type them up... and remember where I wanted the story to go... but I shall get them up! It is my promise to you lovely people who have waited so patiently for me.

Also, I'm thinking about re-uploading all of the chapters because my grammer and all around writing have improved greatly. But i'm not completely sure if I will because once i'm done with this story i'll probably lose interest in it. :) Maybe you guys can give me you thoughts on this idea?

Right, so be looking out for updates.

Sorry for everything.

-Jacki A.K.A Chu-Chi


	28. Chapter 27

_**Disclaimer: All this time I've been away I've been trying to get ownership of The Outsiders, but I failed. Poo. **_

_**Note: IIIIIIII'MMMMM BAAAAAAAACK! Miss me? Of course you did. :) I'm hoping you all read my author's note explaining why I have been away for so long and if you haven't then I suggest you do or you will have to live your life wondering where I went for such a long time. o_O**_

_**I've missed doing this: **_

_**TURKEY BACON!**_

_**Enjoy the new chapter!**_

_**Chapter 27, Goodbyes.**_

"I'm being drafted." He said softly. "And so is Steve."

I suddenly could hear the sound of glass breaking and a hammer pounding against steel and realized that it was the sound of my world breaking and my heart trying to keep me alive.

The room started to spin slowly and I had the urge to crawl under a rock and die.

Soda was staring at me worriedly with tears still brimming his eyes. I was silent for a moment as I came to one conclusion that made sense. He was lying.

"You liar." I said quietly.

Soda looked taken aback. "What?"

"You liar!" I screamed it at him, suddenly furious. "What is wrong with you? You think that's funny?" I shrieked.

"I'm not lying, Crystal!" He held up a stiff looking piece of beige paper. "I have the letter right here and Steve has his in the living room!"

I snatched the paper from his hands and read quickly, my eyes brimming as I realized that what Sodapop was telling me was the truth.

"But-but you can't leave me now. I can't do this alone." I whispered, the paper sliding from my fingers and drifting to the floor as my hand went down to cradle my stomach.

Soda sighed. "It's not like I want to leave you Crissy. We're supposed to be getting married."

I shook my head. "You can't leave me like this, Soda! I'm pregnant for Christ's sake!" I exclaimed and tossed my hands into the air.

Soda's head snapped up so fast that I missed it when I blinked. His eyes were huge and round and his mouth was opened into a perfect 'O'. "Wh-what did you just say?" He asked quietly.

Whoops. Guess the cat's out of the bag now.

I met his brown eyes with my own and sighed. "I think you heard me loud and clear, Pepsi."  
She shook his head and closed his eyes. "And when exactly where you going to tell me?" He asked.

"Now. I just found out today. I was going to tell you but then you told me…" I trailed off, letting him realize how screwed we were.

Soda groaned and dragged his hands over his face. "Criss…"

"I know." I moaned.

"We're so screwed."

"I know."

"I don't want to leave."

"I know."

Soda gave me a long suffering look, but his frown slowly split into a smile and he took a step closer to me.

I eyed him warily. "What are you doing?"

Soda shrugged. "You're pregnant?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought we just went over this?"

"And the baby is mine?"

I dropped open my mouth. "No. It's obviously Ponyboy's." I said sarcastically.

"So I'm gonna be a daddy?" He asked, eyes sparkling.

I sighed, not understanding his happiness. He could die in war, I was pregnant and facing the possibility of having to raise this baby alone. "Obviously."

Soda stepped up to me and put his hands at my waist, guiding me closer. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly, squeezing my against him. After a moment, I hugged him back "Well, that makes me happy." He whispered.

"And I'm happy that your happy, but sad that your leaving, and scared that you won't come back, and worried about having to raise this baby alone if you don't come back, and mad because it's not only you leaving, but Steve too, and…" I spoke into his shoulder until Soda cut me off.

"Whoa, calm down. I will come back, and so will Steve, and you won't have to raise the baby alone." He paused. "And even if I don't come back, which I will, you still wouldn't be alone. Darry and Pony and Johnny and Two-Bit and Dally…"

"Who is not the best influence and will be kept far away from my baby. He'll end up giving it a gun for it's first birthday… or a cigarette."

"Speaking of cigarettes… give me your pack." Soda said, pushing me back lightly and holding out his hand for my pack of smokes.

My hand flew to my pocket. "What? Hell no!"

"You can't smoke when you're pregnant, it can hurt the baby." Soda reminded me.

I opened my mouth to protest, because seriously, I really wanted a cigarette, but he was right. Slowly I pulled out my pack and reluctantly handed it to him.

"Good girl."

"Bite me." I snapped and Soda laughed. "Stop laughing. I don't care what you say, this is a really, really bad situation. " I grumbled.

Soda hummed lightly, looking at me with an odd expression. Then, he snapped his fingers and nodded to himself. Suddenly, he bent down and swiped his arm behind my legs, causing me to fall back into his waiting arms. He picked me up bridal style and carried me to his and Pony's bed where he laid me down on my back.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

Soda chuckled and laid down next to me. He pulled me close and kissed my nose. "Stop being… upset."

"Soda! I…"

He kissed my lips lightly, shutting me up. "You're pregnant with my baby, I'm going to war, I know. Doomsday. Bad stuff." He chuckled. "But look at it from this angle, I love you, you love me, you're going to marry an army man, and we'll have a perfect baby and live happily ever after. I like the way that sounds more then your doomsday crap."

I bit my lip to keep from smiling. "I love a man in uniform." I said with a giggle.

Soda grinned back and kissed me lightly.

Maybe he was right. Everything might turn out alright.

Or maybe it'll turn out horrible.

**….**

I stood next to Pony at the train station exactly a month later, watching the boys say goodbye to Soda and Steve.

I'd been crying for a long time now. The tears seemed to never end. My heart was breaking a thousand times over.

Now, in my third month of pregnancy, I was beginning to show a little, my belly was slightly bigger and more rounded and my breasts were starting to feel heavier.

Darry patted Soda on the shoulder after releasing him from the biggest hug ever and Soda looked over at me and Pony. We were standing just a few feet away from the group they had formed, both bawling like babies. Soda walked over, head down, and Steve followed in the same manner.

Steve stopped in front of me while Soda pulled Pony away.

"Crystal…"

I shhed him and looked down. "Don't give me some sappy goodbye." I said bitterly. "Just hug me and promise me you'll write me all the time."

Steve smiled sadly and hugged me like I asked, squeezing me so tight that I found it hard to take a breath. "I'll write to you every chance I get. I love you, little sis." He said in my ear.

A sob broke from my throat as my tears wet his shoulder. "I love you too, Stevie. Be safe. Come home soon." I said, my voice rough.

Steve pulled back to grin. "I'll be back soon, you watch and see, I'll come back and be the best uncle that little baby ever had."

I sobbed again and smacked his shoulder. "Shut up. You're gonna make me cry."

"You're already crying, sweetie." Steve pointed out.

I hit him again. "You're gonna make me cry harder."

Steve chuckled and hugged me once more before kissing my forehead and leaving to find Evie.

I took a deep breath and wiped my eyes, willing myself to stop crying.

Of course, that flew out the window when Soda walked up to me with tears in his eyes.

I flung my arms around his neck and hugged him hard, crying into his shoulder. He held onto me, rubbing my back and whispering sweet nothings in my ear.

"What am I going to do if you don't come back? How am I gonna raise a baby by myself? I'm only seventeen!" I cried.

Soda shhed me and kissed my head. "We talked about this. You still have the boys and anyway I'll be home soon. Don't cry, Crissy."

I wanted to hit him, but instead I pulled away from him, grabbed his face, and kissed with everything I had.

The kiss was sad because it was a goodbye kiss, but at the same time it was incredibly sweet. Everything we felt for each other came out in that kiss.

But it ended, much too soon for both of us, by Darry coming over to inform Soda that the train was about to leave, the train that would take him away from me.

Soda kissed me once more and hugged me tight before taking a step back. "I love you."

I sighed and wiped my eyes. "I love you too."

Then, I watched him and my brother walk away, off to a war that could take their lives, a war that could take them both from me forever.

Tears flooded my eyes again as I turned away from the scene of the train pulling away. I grabbed onto Johnny, who was standing closest to me, and sobbed harder then I had ever sobbed in my life.

* * *

**Yes. I did send Soda and Steve to war. Don't hate me for all will be fine. I SWEAR IT!**

**Not my best chapter though... **

**Review and continue to boot my abnormally large ego! (jk)**

**-Chu-Chi**


	29. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: Dear FanFiction, I really, really hate having to repeat myself and I think that one disclaimer in the beginning of the first chapter of the story should suffice but because I don't want my story to be taken down and because you seem to like shattering my fantasy where I DO own the Outsiders, I shall say this again. I do not own the Outsiders.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**_Chapter 28, Letters Home_**

**Seven Months Later**

I didn't hear from Sodapop and Steve as much I would have liked to, so, when one of those rare letters did come, I immediately got that gut clenching feeling you get when you're expecting bad news. My heart would race and my hands would shake and I'd break out in a cold sweat because, out of all the things I've ever feared in my life, receiving a letter telling me that my only brother or the love of my life is dead is the thing I found that scared me the most.

Every time I got a letter from one of them though, and it said that they were fine, safe, alive, I'd let out a long, relieved breath and my hands would finally be still.

The first couple of weeks that they were gone I felt… alone. Steve, ever since I was a baby, had always been right next to me. All I ever had to do was call his name and he'd magically appear next to me. With Soda it was the same, even before we were together like we are now. Even when we were just friends, all I'd ever had to do was call his name and he'd be there, ready to chase away anything that was scaring me, ready to fight off anything that was hurting me, and ready to cheer me up when something was making me sad.

But, as the weeks went on, I found that I wasn't alone. The boys were still there, treating me like a royal princess.

I still stayed at the Curtis house, no point in leaving seeing as though I spent most of my time there anyhow, but the mattress on the floor that Steve and I used to sleep on was gone now. I had my own room.

Well, technically it was Soda's room. Before he and Pony had started to share a room, he'd had his own just across the hall from Pony's. That's where I stayed now. The boys had spent a good week and a half cleaning it and making it all nice for me, despite my protests. Before, it had been used as a storage room. All that junk was thrown away or moved to the attic now.

I worked at the diner too and brought home a paycheck to Darry. With Soda gone, we were out a good chunk of change that helped pay bills. On Fridays and Saturdays I worked the night shift at a local bar for extra cash to buy baby stuff.

And that baby was going to have a lot of stuff, let me just tell you now. Those boys were bringing me stuff like you wouldn't believe. Even Dally was showering me with gifts.

Just a few weeks ago though, my bosses in both the diner and the bar told me to take maternity leave off, so now I was stuck home all day. Dally mostly kept me company during this time. Pony and Johnny went to the movies a lot, movies that I found mind-numbingly boring, Two-Bit disappeared to God knows where, as usual, and Darry had work. Dally was usually the only one around to keep my company and I didn't mind him. He was real funny because he was suddenly twice as protective over me as he used to be, if you can believe that. I didn't mind though.

Now, seven months after Soda and Steve left, I'm just starting up in my ninth month and that little baby in my stomach was kicking the shit out of me. I was huge now, the tiny baby bump I'd had earlier had grown into a huge, round, block-the-whole-damn-TV-if-I-lay-on-my-back bump. My ankles were swollen to hell, so I'd decided to give up on shoes unless they were absolutely necessary, and my breasts were large and full of the milk I'd use to feed my baby soon.

It was a Thursday, and I woke up that morning as usual; ravenously hungry for chocolate chip pancakes and bacon.

I laughed at myself as I struggled out of bed, my enlarged belly making it hard to move. I must have looked ridiculous, scooting and shimmying to the edge of the bed and then finally being able to stand up.

Once up, I walked, or rather, I waddled into the living room and smiled at Two-Bit, who was sitting in his usual spot in front of the TV with a piece of chocolate cake and a beer next to him.

"Hay, Bit." I greeted.

Two-Bit turned and grinned at me, his face covered in chocolate. "Howdy, Criss!"

I laughed and pointed to his mouth. "You got a little something on your face." I said, walking past him and into the kitchen.

Darry was at the stove, the scent of eggs in the air, whistling a tune. Pony, Johnny, and Dally were seated at the table, Johnny and Pony playing cards and Dally reading a newspaper.

"Morning, my pets." I said, taking a seat at the table.

Dally grunted his hello as Darry spun around and placed a plate of chocolate chip pancakes and bacon in front of me. "Morning." Darry replied, going back to his eggs.

"Thanks, Darry." I said, cutting a piece of pancake and stuffing it in my mouth.

"How ya doing, Crissy?" Johnny asked, smiling at me.

I nodded to him, afraid to spray half-chewed bacon at him if I opened my mouth. After a particularly large swallow I grinned at him. "My ankles are the size of watermelons, my back is killing me, and I have to pee every five minutes, so I guess I'm doing alright." I joked.

Pony looked up and pointed at me. "I refuse to change any diapers. I don't care if I'm the uncle or not. No. Diapers." He stressed, dead serious.

Johnny laughed and I heard Darry snicker behind me. "Same for me." Dally piped up, setting down the newspaper.

I snorted and laughed at the boys sitting around me. "I don't think I'd have the courage to trust you boys with changing a diaper. God only knows what the end result would be." I joked grinning when Pony's bottom lip jutted out in a pout.

"I bet I could do it without messing it up." He said.

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh, do ya now?"

"I bet I could too." Dally agreed, crossing his arms over his chest.

I smiled evilly. "Ten bucks says neither of you can." I challenged.

Dally extended his hand out. "Deal! Ten bucks if I can change the kid's diaper right."

I gripped his hand and we shook, then I did the same with Pony. Afterwards, I sat back in my chair and laughed. "So, I guess you both _will_ be changing diapers after all." I said, picking at my fingernails.

Johnny, picking up on what I had done, laughed.

Pony and Dally looked horrified. "You little sneak...!" Dally started, rising himself out of his seat.

I scoffed. "It's your fault that you can't back down from a bet." I pointed out.

Dally groaned and flopped back down in the chair while Pony laid his forehead on the table. "I hate you, Crissy." Pony groaned, his voice muffled by the table.

My grin was huge. "Love you too, sweetie."

Darry chuckled and set a plate of eggs in front of the boys and then leaned against the counter. "We got a letter today." He said conversationally.

My head snapped up. "Why am I just now hearing about this? Where is it?"

Darry pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper from his back pocket and held it out to me. "If from both of them. They're all right, more concerned about you, honestly."

I took the paper and stood up as quick as I could with my bulging belly and headed for the back door. Outside, I leaned against the railing and opened the paper, smiling when I saw both Steve's and Soda's writing on the paper.

_Dear Crystal,_

_Me and Steve are safe, in one piece, and alive so take a nice deep breath and calm down because, knowing you, you're probably freaking out right now. _

_It's getting to be time soon, ain't it? Time for our baby to be coming along? I can't believe I'm not going to be there with you for it, can't believe I'm going to miss it. It really makes me mad that at the point in your life that you need me the most I won't be there. It makes me twice as mad to know that my kid is going to spend the first bit of it's life without a daddy. _

_Steve threw a fit about it yesterday. Boy, howdy, Crissy, you should've seen him. He was ranting and raving and throwing things and cursing the Lord's name up and down and sideways. _

_It was funny as hell, honestly._

_I think that's the worst of it though, the anger. I hate being angry, I hate the feeling, but I can't help but be angry at the damn government for sending me out here when you and the baby need me the most._

_Then again, it's good to be angry because when you're out there, fighting, if you ain't angry then you get soft and soft is the one thing you ought not to be out here._

_I miss you so much it's like a physical pain sometimes. I miss Darry and Pony's bickering and I miss Johnny's little lost puppy attitude and I miss Dally getting into trouble all the time and I miss Two-Bit getting drunk all the time. I can't wait to come home._

_That seems to be all I can think nowadays, that I can't wait to go home._

_Steve and I met another boy here, he's in our unit, and his name is Luke. He's two years older then us and he's got a wife and two babies back home. Jane is his wife's names and he talks about her like the sun shines right out of her ass. She sounds a lot like you sometimes; from the way he describes her. His babies, Amy and Sophie, are the cutest little girls I've ever seen with big gray eyes and hair lighter then Dally's. He's shown me pictures of all four of them before he was sent out here. Amy is three now and Sophie is six, when he left he said Amy was two and Sophie was five. He always talks about how when he gets home he's going to buy them everything they want and spoil them rotten._

_I want to do that too, Criss. I want a spoil my baby rotten, give it everything it wants. Don't worry, I'll spoil you too._

_I hate calling the baby 'it.' Can't you just tell me if it's a girl or a boy? The suspense is killing me. I'm tempted ti call it a he since Steve is convinced that it's a boy. _

_When we get back I'm going to introduce you to Luke and Garret, the other guy in out unit. You're going to love them, Criss, they're great guys._

_I miss you, baby, and I love you._

_Make sure you send me pictures of him or her whenever the time comes._

_Love,_

_Sodapop Curtis._

I smiled as I read the ending of Soda's letter. He was safe, Steve was safe. That's what mattered.

A rough kick in my stomach made me hiss out a breath and smile at the same time. "You're happy Daddy and Uncle Stevie are safe too, aren't ya?" I cooed, rubbing me belly with one hand.

I remembered the part about Steve ranting and raving about missing out on this and laughed lightly. That sure sounded like my brother.

My laughed faded slowly. I was missing those boys something awful. It was a sharp pain in my chest whenever I thought about how much I missed them.

In a sudden rush, I felt the urge to meet the Jane Soda mentioned in the letter. Her husband had been away for over a year, she'd had two babies with him that's she was raising on her own. Maybe if I met her, she could give me the secrets on how to be a good Mama.

I knew that was stupid. No one can give you the secrets on how to be a good Mama. You just gotta do your best and love your baby to death.

My eyes turned back to the letter as I flipped the page over and read Steve's letter on the other side.

_Crissy,_

_Like Sodapop said, we're all okay, so don't go getting your panties in a twist over us. We're doing fine over here._

_Are the boys being good to you? Are they taking care of you? I told them all that if they don't take care of you then when I get back I would bust their heads open. I think they got the point._

_Crissy, I wish you could see me when I'm shooting off my guns. I'm a great shot and I've got near perfect aim. Me and Garret love to have competitions with our guns. We make targets out of paper and see who can hit closest to the bulls eye from farther away. So far, I'm the reining champion._

_Evie says you look really pretty pregnant. She says you glow or something like that. Sounds like a personal problem to me but whatever. I can't wait to get back there and see my nephew. I'll teach him how to play football and I'll get him his first leather jacket and show him how to shoot a gun._

_Just kidding._

_Yeah, I said nephew because I'm sure that the baby is going to be a boy. Call it Uncle's instinct._

_By the way, I'm warning you now, I don't mind babysitting when you need me to, but I refuse to change diapers. Jus the thought gives me the shakes._

_You never told me in your last letter who were going to name as the godfather and godmother. I figure it won't be Pony, Darry, or I since we're the immediate Uncles and our jobs are hard enough. So that leaves it to Johnny, Two-Bit, and Dally. I'm ruling out Two-Bit because I doubt you'd set a lazy drunk like his as the godfather._

_Normally, I'd say rule out Dally because of his… rough nature, which would leave Johnny as the obvious choice but I don't know about that. Truthfully, I'd put my money on you choosing Dally as the godfather and sweet little Emily as the godmother to balance out Dally's roughness._

_I'm right, aren't I?_

_Of course I am._

_I miss you tons, Sis. I miss you doing the exact opposite of what I tell you, I miss you walking in and telling me and Evie to get a room when we're together, I miss chasing you around the Curtis' yard, hell, I even miss you dumping ice water on my to wake me up. Here, the only thing we got to wake us up is a loud horn that I'm seriously thinking about breaking in half. It's annoying as hell._

_Write me soon, Crissy._

_Love you,_

_Steve Randle._

I sighed, shaking my head as I read over the letter. Leave it to Steve to end up playing with guns while he's away with war. Knowing him, he'd probably laugh his ass of if this Garret fellow 'accidentally' shot him in the leg or something. What a freaking retard.

I smiled and laughed lightly. At least he was enjoying himself.

He was right on one thing though, I was planning on naming Dally and Emily the god parents.

God, I missed them.

It came suddenly, I wasn't even aware of it until a sharp pain sliced through my stomach. I felt something go _snap, snap_ in my stomach and suddenly, the pajama pants I had been wearing were soaked with liquid.

My eyes widened as I gripped my stomach.

"Darry!"

* * *

**Oo la la! It is time, my pets, it is time, indeed! **

**This might actually go just over 30 chapters because I wanna break down the ending, drag it out a bit. I'll be sad to end this story because it's my first ever but i'm going to be posting a new one soon. I just need to figure out which of my pieces I want to put up here next. **

**Review for Baby Curtis!**

**-Chu-Chi**


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